Rambles

Is it appropriate for a 25-year-old to throw a fit about not getting a snow day yesterday?

No?  Fair enough.  I didn’t.  But considered it on multiple occasions.

And according to Shelby, I’m allowed to complain about it. She did a little research and came up with a guide to complaining about the weather.  I dig it.

Plus, it was Tuesday. And since I dislike Tuesdays, I’ll complain just because I can.

So mature…

Although, I did have a very un-Tuesdayish event occur.  Tosh.0 is back on Comedy Central!  It made my day. Is anyone else a fan? Is it possible I’ll have something to look forward to on Tuesdays for a while?  Yes it is!

Another way I attempted to combat my Tuesday blues was with carb deliciousness.Surely the pretty colors would make me happy. 

Actually, the taste did.  But we’ll pretend the colors helped.

I mixed whole wheat pasta, peas, and spinach together (the spinach at the very end after draining so it wouldn’t get too wilted) and topped with marinara and the leftover chicken sausage and red onion I had sautéed for dinner the night before.

My only sadness is the unused red chili pepper flakes.  I pulled them out to sprinkle on top, but inhaled the plate before that happened.  Maybe that means I didn’t *really* need them.

Doesn’t mean I didn’t want them. (insert pouting)

Most likely, you’ll be seeing me get semi-creative with whole wheat pasta in the near future. Yes, this is the stuff I’ve mentioned before.  The expiration is in February.  So we’re working on a deadline, folks.

The dinner was just what I needed for a laid back walk on the treadmill.  I’m on a walk “kick” after dinner these days.  Mostly because I’ve had a lot of energy as of late and can multi-task. It’s when most of my phone conversations happen.

But don’t worry- I’m not rude about it.  I try to find times when the only people there are ones that don’t mind (er… friends) or when it’s empty. And if someone walks in, the conversation gets cut short- because I’m not about to be that girl spreading her business around.  It amazes me what people will sometimes say on the phone in public.  I mean… we can hear you.

This morning I woke up and did a little more of my newest Jillian dvd- No More Trouble Zones.  My triceps are not happy about this, but I assume they’ll thank me later when I’m letting them run around naked in the warmer temps (the constant snow dump lets me know this will be a LONG wait). My arms have never been a “trouble spot” for me, but it was quickly realized that they were weak little puppies before my Jillian phase.

I realized at this point, I’m just rambling and should probably end it before it gets weird.  Too late?  Dang…

Any ideas for my pasta?  preferably something that is for only 2-3 servings? I get bored easily…

Picky Baking

So our “holiday vacations” are mostly over.  Welcome back to the 5-day work week.  Gross.

To make myself feel better about this, I baked.  Yes I did.  After Mon and my baking extravaganza for Christmas, I was exhausted.  Hung up my apron and said it was retired until the new year.

It’s 2011 now.  We’re good to go.

One of my closest guy friends who lives in St. Louis was a little more than miffed when he found out I was mailing cookies out for Christmas and he was not one of the recipients.  I assured him something would come his way soon.  Such a good friend I am.

The only problem is… well… he’s a boy.  And not all guys are like this.  Some guys will try anything once.  But my guy friends, specifically the ones from college, are picky and will question anything before they eat it.  Since I want to surprise him, I clearly can’t ask if he’ll eat one thing or another.

I thought about repeating the samoas recipe.  That was mostly because I wanted to eat a few, but it’s the coconut issue. Some people are strongly against it. What about walnuts?  Will he eat them?  Not so sure…  Pumpkin?  I won’t even bother giving much more thought to that. Peppermint?  Probably not…

After all the searching, I decided to do a repeat of some cookies that had some pretty good male (just to be safe) reviews in the past.

Enter my Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.If my friend doesn’t like white chocolate, we probably shouldn’t have been friends in the first place.Oopsies… looks like a few of the cookies got camera shy and had a little toffee accident on my new pampered chef cookie sheet (thanks mom and dad!).

No worries, this did not affect the overall taste of the cookies.  I checked to make sure.  A few times.

Do some of your friends/family get picky when it comes to baking and such?  It’s always amusing what people will and will not eat.  I have some family that doesn’t eat coconut in things. Friends who don’t like marshmallow. Then there’s always me with the dislike of most things “fruity” (I can’t really judge without admitting that- otherwise, I’m just a hypocrite).

Moving on…

How did I spend my last day of freedom from my desk?

Pretty quietly.  While at the grocery store, I decided another Red Box would be a good idea. 

And I was correct. Easy A was probably one of the funniest new movies I’ve watched recently.  Because Drew Barrymore and Justin Long’s Going the Distance definitely wasn’t.  Emma Stone was great.  And I am positive I will one day be like the parents in this movie- slightly kooky and eccentric (in a good way, of course).

I made it to the gym for a 2-mile run and 15 minutes on the stairmill.  My pace for the run was 8:25.  Woo hoo!  Finally feeling the urge to push my speed again.  I think it must be the race I just signed up for.  Gotta love a little kick in the butt.

All this cardio came after I had another go at “No More Trouble Zones” with Jillian.  It seems, when running and climbing, the fact I had done NMTZ earlier in the day was lost.  This morning, however, my body remembered.  Because I’m a wee bit sore.

There’s no doubt in my mind that today will probably be a rest day.  It’s time.

It’s probably time to go.  Actually, it really is.  Duty calls.  Good luck getting back to the full 5-day work week, everyone!

If you need me, I’ll be the one hiding under her desk…

That’s My Cue

We might as well talk about Black Swan first.

Because I’m still kind of feeling weird. And just uncomfortable in general.

Mon and I went to see it last night.

We both agreed that it was pretty good.  Natalie and Mila NAILED their parts. Impressive for sure. 

But it is definitely one of those movies where you leave feeling really “blah” about life afterwards. I got the same feeling when I left the theater after seeing Revolutionary Road.  And on the way home, all you can say is, “wow… that would really suck”.

And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Because I was feeling good for the rest of the day. Not that I did a whole lot. I took my Christmas tree down.  Does that count as productive?  Even if I should probably have put it away earlier? Considering one year, we kept the decorations on the tree through most of February (Valentine’s Day tree?) and the tree was still in our living room until April (couldn’t make this up if I wanted to), I thought getting the tree down yesterday was quite the accomplishment.

Do you have anything like that?  Where, at some point, you just don’t notice how obnoxious it is?

One thing I do know is that my dinner last night before the movie was obnoxiously good (like how I did that?  Corny?  Oh yeah…).Hey James!  Not diggin’ the mustache so much, but since I heart you, I’m willing to let it slide…

Guacamole, salsa, corn, sharp cheddar and sour cream.

The guacamole was part of a two-pack bought from Trader Joe’s a little while ago.  It suggested to use one and freeze the other.

Um.  It’s not as good after being frozen. Still alright- just not fantastic.

You heard it here.

Off I go.  It’s been one of those mornings of piddling around.  So in attempts to jump start my day, I put the “No More Trouble Zones” workout in.  Now it’s a matter of pushing play.

Oh yeah, before I go (I’m procrastinating again)- I’ve been working on integrating my 8-lb weights into The Shred. 

Whew.

I knew some of the moves would be simple. They could have used heavier weights in the very beginning.  Others?  I may have done one repeat with the 8′s and one with the 5′s.  The rest I didn’t even bother trying to switch it up.  Baby steps. There’s no need for me to pretend I’m stronger than I really am… 

Ok fine… the workout music is repeating over and over.  That’s my cue.  I need to go and face the music. 

Peace out!

Big Plans

Hello everyone! 

So no one actually likes pants.  Hmmm.  We should start a movement.  Yes?

Anyhoo, I feel like it’s been too long!

Not just because I didn’t post yesterday, but because I’m still trying to catch up with how everyone else’s holidays went…

Anyways, the story left off in St. Louis.  I spent the night at my friend Mary’s house, not only to break up my trip back home, but to spend some time with two of my best friends over the holidays.Another wine night. We had originally talked up a big night out.  Drinks flowing… dancing… cute shoes…

We went out to pick out a bottle and get a red box movie.  After agonizing for 10 minutes over a selection, we ended up deciding on watching Entourage reruns instead.  We’re wild like that.

And reruns of Entourage turned into an episode of South Park that was about the shake weight and people’s ridiculous obsession with the Food Network.  I think I laughed the loudest.

All three of us got up around 9:30 yesterday morning.  Yes- 9:30. After we all said we would probably “naturally” wakeup by 7:30.  The long holiday weekend has clearly taken a toll on everyone.  Anyone else suffering the “holiday hangover”?

Getting up that late only means one thing.

Time for BRUNCH!We hit a local joint just down the road from Mary.  Last time us girls were together, we all ordered the same thing (it’s ok to roll your eyes here- we were just as embarrassed about it as you’d think).  This time wasn’t any different. Omelets for everyone! Like the ”Bacado” pictured above.  Mine was stuffed with avocado and bacon and I couldn’t have been happier.   

We’ll discuss how this triggered my avocado obsession (again) at a different time.

We sat there and chatted over free refills of coffee for way too long.  Not too long because I needed to go (which is probably true), but because we were rivaling all the old people with time spent there and the waitress was getting annoyed.  Oops.

Do you ever overestimate how productive you’ll be during the day?  I do- all the time.  Original thoughts were to leave St. Louis by noon or so, get a good run in (I’ve been dying to- that’s not a joke), grocery shop, unpack, etc etc.

Yeah…

I didn’t leave until close to 1:00.  Hit some traffic.  Lost any energy to workout.  And the ONLY reason grocery shopping happened was because it happened before I got home- I knew I wouldn’t drive back out to do it otherwise. And a girl needs to eat. 

And if you think any of my stuff is unpacked, you’re just crazy.  Who was I kidding?  I usually live out of my bag until it’s all been used or it has to be repacked.  True story.

However, it should be noted how thankful I am for fantastic driving conditions to and from Missouri.  That never happens.

And I would also like to note my favorite road trip tune came from a station somewhere in central Illinois.  Chumbawamba?  YES PLEASE!

Because I got to bed early, getting up to work out this morning wasn’t that big of a deal.  I figured this work week should be started with a BANG. Tuesday won’t take me down that easily.

I did my new Jillian Michaels ”No More Trouble Zones” dvd.  It left me a little sore the first time I did it, so I’m assuming it’ll let me know once again where all my underworked muscles are. 

On that note, I did “feel it” from the P90X ”Ab Ripper” cd.  Just not as badly as expected.  Maybe it was because people were building it up to such a horrible thing. Maybe because it should be combined with other circuits (really have no clue how that system works).  But I had planned to crawl out of bed. And was pleasantly surprised when I didn’t have to. Awesome.

Let’s pretend Tuesday doesn’t suck and focus our attention on how it’s yet another holiday (aka “short”) work week!

Modern Family Dinner Party

So how much is everyone enjoying premiere week?  Unfortunately for me, the majority of the shows I tend to watch have all ended up on Thursdays.  I don’t have DVR (I regret this decision everyday, my friends), so I’ll be hopefully catching up on some shows here and there over the weekend that I don’t catch the first time around.  Life is so hard sometimes.

Although, there is one show that is NOT on Thursday- and that is Modern Family!I have no idea how I started watching it, but last year it was one I never missed.  It’s hilarious.  And if you don’t watch it yet, you should.

Mon also enjoys this show.  And because her eyes lit up when I started talking about my plans for the Uncle Sam cereal I was sent, I invited her over.  Deal was that I’d cook if she brought the booze.Not a problem.  Mon has a knack for always finding fun bottles- versus my usual go to Trader Joe’s and find a decent bottle under $6 or $7.  To each their own I guess… 

I decided to make a breaded chicken.  Originally I was going to do a honey crusted chicken.  How sweet would that have been (seriously the worst joke I’ll write all day- promise)?  But a trip to Trader Joe’s over lunch changed things.  I swear the cheese display calls to me.  So I went with Parmesan Crusted Chicken instead. Since I never cook with exact recipes, I’ll give you the general process.  I cut 2 chicken breasts into pieces and dredged them in whole wheat flour.  Then, I dipped them in an egg white/milk mixture.  Then I dipped it into a mixture of about a cup of Uncle Sam cereal and a cup of parmesan cheese.  It’s pretty easy if you just line up 3 bowls in a row and just work it down the assembly line (I didn’t realize until right now how helpful a picture may have been).

If you have any of the cereal/parm mixture leftover, just dump it over the top of the pan of chicken.  You don’t ever let good parmesan go to waste…

Then, I cooked the chicken at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  I have a very scientific method of cutting into 2 or 3 pieces to check if it’s done or not.

Clearly you can’t have just chicken.  So I also used the premier of Modern Family as an excuse to celebrate and open one of the finest jars of green beans canned on this side of the Mississippi. 

Which is actually wrong now that I think about it- it’d be the other side I guess since that particular river resides inbetween my ‘rents and I…

Anyhoo… I also complimented the chicken with a lovely red sauce.  I call it “la Prego”.  Roll the “r” with your tongue as you say it and it sounds fancy.    I also added some parsley, oregano, and garlic powder to give it more of a kick.The chicken was easily cut with a fork.  So tender- I think the breading did a good job of helping keep the moisture in.

And when entertaining, don’t ever go without a simple garden salad.  I mean, come on.  This is me that we’re talking about- from my eating  habits as of late, I can’t go a day without it.  If I don’t get my leafy greens quota, I may start getting the shakes.Peas, carrots, red onion. 

We sat on opposite ends of the couch after the onion.

Another easy dinner- and I got the thumbs up from Mon, so I guess it wasn’t all that bad, either. 

I realize at this point you must be thinking, “but Amy- what about your working out?  How’s that going?  You haven’t talked about it much lately.”  No worries- it’s still going ok.  I seem to have slacked off on the running.  One reason being that blister on my heel wasn’t getting any better- running is a little harder on it than the elliptical.  Also, I’m babying the leggy a little bit.  It doesn’t hurt per se, but I don’t feel 100% either.  I’ve realized that I’ve become like one of those super-crazed overprotective moms when it comes to my leg.  Pretty soon I’ll have it completely soaked in hand sanitizer and wrapped in bubble wrap for protection. 

Besides, I still have an 8k race this weekend and I’m not screwing it up!

But I digress.

The workouts have been standard.  Yesterday I did run 2 miles at a relaxed pace (a little over 8:30) and spent a solid 20 minutes on the elliptical for my cardio.  And to get in a little strength training, I did another round of The Shred Level 2.  Level 2 is what I tend to gravitate to.  Level 1 started to get a little too easy and I’m not particularly fond of the moves in Level 3.  Rockstar jumps for 30 seconds is crap.  I don’t like it one bit.  And on that note, I’m pretty sure my downstairs neighbor wouldn’t appreciate it either.

Time to get on with the day!  Have a good one!

A Little Improv

So you liked the baked goods, huh?  Yeah- me too.  And before I forget, the recipe said it would make approximately 24 if you fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way.  I filled them much more than that and still ended up with 30.  So clearly there is no reason why you shouldn’t make these.  Unless, of course, you’re allergic to pumpkin, chocolate, or wheat.  If that’s the case, please don’t.

I’m covering my bases with that one. 

Since we’re back into the swing of the work week where I’m the later shift, I did my standard get up early to workout thing.  After getting 9-10 hours of sleep each night over this weekend, it was pretty much non-negotiable.

I did The Shred with Jillian and resistance bands.  Within the last month, I’ve acquired neighbors who live beneath me.  For the longest time, the apartment below me was empty, so I stomped and jumped as much as I wanted.  Now there’s someone there.  I still did it, but in spots where it’s not quite as loud (I assume there are beams there?).  This girl’s gotta get her sweat on.  So I did so as politely as possible.

That took care of my strength training.  I also needed to get in cardio, which I did after work.  I stuck to the elliptical.  I know this isn’t part of the training plan and I’m straying from it, but for now that works for me.  If I don’t feel like running, it’s ok- I can just improvise with the elliptical.  Weee…. living on the edge….

As excited as I got for the stops at Subway and Panera during my roadtrip to Mid-Missouri last weekend, I decided to just go ahead and buy my own deli at the grocery store. 

And it was on sale.  So yeah…

I don’t have bacon, but came as close to my favorite sandwich at Panera as I could get by improvising with the basics I had. Turkey, spinach, cheddar, avocado and a little ranch in a spinach tortilla.  I didn’t really miss the bacon anyways.

I don’t know about where you live, but today we’re supposed to be receiving a mini heat wave at hit 90 degrees again today.  Which is hilarious because I just talked about how I finally accepted all things Fall being a part of my life.  Originally, I was upset.  Because summer seemed to have left without saying goodbye.  I guess it wanted to come back to give me a hug before going away for the rest of the year.  Goodbyes are never easy.

And because it’s Tuesday (clearly a downer in my book), here’s a fun little video for you that, if anything, is a good indicator of my sense of humor.

I absolutely love that people do this- it makes me smile…    It was put on by this group called Improv Everywhere and they do random “pranks” like the black tie beach day in New York.  Has anyone ever heard of them?

Ok kids, here’s hoping Tuesday doesn’t suck!

I don’t know what to call it?

Good morning!  You have no idea how excited I am that it’s finally Thursday.  The weekend needs to be here.  Like now!

We might as well get right into it.  I made something last night and I really don’t know what it is. Mexican breaded eggplant?

Even Julia’s looking at me like I’m nuts.

This is what happens when you don’t meal plan well.  The eggplant and the avocado were both on their last legs. 

It’s about the same thing I did yesterday (black beans, salsa, cheddar, and avocado).  But with eggplant as the base instead of chips.  Who woulda thunk it?

I’ll tell ya who.  A crazy person.  This was not good.  Do not try it. I saw a few recipes online and said, “Why not?  Surely I could throw something similar together.”  Nope.  Nasty.

Oops.

One thing I do know is that yesterday’s workout went MUCH better than the night before.  It was a 3-mile run at 8:15 pace and then strength training.  Which I made easy on myself and just did The Shred with Jillian.  Sorta easy.  Not really.  I still firmly believe that if she were my actual personal trainer, she’d have me curled up in the fetal position in a corner crying. At least twice.  Per session.

Instead of cleaning, I chose to sit and watch the Cards/Cubs game.  Which couldn’t have been more of a waste of time- the Cards must be in a funk, too.  I probably should have cleaned…

Today is my rest day.  Which is something I couldn’t be more excited about.  From yesterday’s comments, it seems the general consensus is that the changing weather is really doing a number on some of us.  I would be one of those people.  I love Fall, but the change is getting to me.  Or at least that’s what I’m going to blame it on for now!

By the way, I’m not sure what was up with Google Reader yesterday.  I think we’re in a fight or something, because it refused to post what I wrote.  In case you missed it, feel free to read about my “meh” day here.

And just so you’re aware I’m not all doom and gloom this week (I promise most of it’s just sarcasm), let me show you a little ad that has been around a while, but cracks me up every time.

I really need to get myself an awesome headband.

Rambles and Updates

Why hello there! I’m glad everyone seemed to like the eggplant creation.  And FYI- it’s just as good if not better (because the flavors had more time to blend?) as leftovers.  Surprised?  I was.

And I’m thankful I’m not the only one who feels like an idiot when it comes to trying to open plastic packaging.  I googled it, too.  According to wikihow, 6,000 people went to the hospital in 2004 trying to open this stuff!  Why can’t the company spring for a box?  I swear I’ll recycle it.  Either way- if you do find yourself taking on one of those demonic package, you can follow step-by-step instructions here.

Sorry- let’s get back on track, shall we?

Yesterday I finally got down to business with some strength training.  My workouts have been pretty cardio heavy as of late (hello, my name is Amy and I’m a cardio junkie)  and I was almost excited to completely switch it up.

I hit up my dvd collection.  Level 2 of The Shred and another resistance band workout.  Doing them one right after the other wasn’t much fun.  And I’ll likely not do it again.  I just got bored following along to the tv for that long.  Even though it did work up a sweat- and I felt great afterwards.  But I’ll still not do it again- and would rather do one or the other and then hit the workout room to finish up.

Besides, after doing Jillian, the other girl laughed just once and seemed like a pansy.  I need to separate the two ladies.  Asap.

Dinner was another new creation.  My recent obsession with sweet potatoes came into play with the fact that I need to use up some Trader Joe’s wraps before they get too old for my liking. Sweet potato wrap, anyone?  It’s like a pinwheel!  I boiled and mashed the sweet potatoes as one layer, and also threw in black beans to bulk it up and make sure I get my protein for the day.   The black beans are seasoned just with taco seasoning (which I highly recommend doing for a little kick).  I threw broccoli on the side as to make sure not all the veggies I had for the day were overly ”heavy”  I needed some light greens!  Partially because I liked the colors.  Sue me…

Any more wrap ideas that you can think of off the top of your head?  I’m starting to run low!

And may I direct your attention to the tabs at the top of the page?  I FINALLY added my 15k training plan I’m going to be attempting under the Racing Randomness page.  It’s a little more aggressive (in my opinion) than how my half marathon training plan was set up.  I mostly say this because it involves the speed work I’ve been inquiring about.  As a disclaimer, I am sure it is subject to change when I get into the routine and see how it’s going.  So stay tuned…

Also, I added another tab for any semi-new readers.  It clears up any confusion of things I may ramble about on a decently regular basis.  I would like to think it clears up any questions or saves you from sitting there on the other end going, “Wtf is up with this chick?  Seriously?”.

Happy Wednesday!  It is Wednesday, right?  Thank goodness.

A Little Resistance

So I think I’m in the majority when it comes to exercise- a general game plan is necessary.  I’m glad I’m not the only one who can get a weeee bit ocd about it…

But mixing it up is ok, too.  That’s what I did last night.  The blogger meetup had to be postponed- it involved a poor little puppy of hers who just recently had surgery and pulled a stitch!  Poor thing!  So we had to reschedule.  Which is totally cool- things happen! 

That meant all the sudden I had some free time on my hands.  And because I had done some 30-Day Shred in the morning, I decided to keep on with the theme of strength training.

*On a quick note, I’ve decided to do The Shred as a morning workout whenever it fits in.  So I’ll be doing less of it, but I’m ok with it because I plan to incorporate other forms of strength training that is a little more intense in the strength/weights and doesn’t include as much cardio.  Because seriously, I do get my share of cardio as-is.  A little more focus on the free weights wouldn’t kill me.  And on top of everything, I like The Shred in the morning.  It really is a good wakeup call!

Back to my original story- another reason why I’m backing off of The Shred a bit is because I now am the proud owner of a resistance band and a dvd workout that goes along with it thanks to my dear friend Annie!  It was part of my spectacular runner/fitness-geared birthday present!Won’t lie- I got a little nervous doing this in my house.  I am what you would like to consider semi-accident-prone (ok, you probably are either accident-prone or not, but I like to think I have not caused any major harm, so I’ve lessened the charge to “semi”).  A resistance band accidently getting flung through my glass sliding door would not be surprising.

The dvd that came with the band has three different short workouts all working on something different.  Me being the overacheiver that I am, I chose the combo of all three.  It wasn’t really that bad- probably about 40 minutes after all was said and done.  I liked the workout.  It was easy to follow and you knew when you were doing a move right- it burned right when the instructor said it would.  And I was happy to find that she wasn’t too over the top cheery.  Being as how I’m used to following Jillian and her tough love, I was a little weary that anything less harsh would drive me nuts.  Whew!

Definitely going to use it as a form of cross training- not only does it work the core, it helps you stretch (which is just what I need).  Thanks Annie! 

Anyone else out there use resistance bands often?  Any favorite moves you do with them?

I finally picked up some more whole wheat tortilla wraps at Trader Joe’s (in love), and made a mushroom quesadilla and sweet potatoes for dinner.Serious sweet potato phase if anyone hasn’t already noticed.  I find something I like and will continue to have it until I find a new love to replace it.  Sounds like my life motto…. ha.

Gotta get moving.  I hope that I can avoid dwelling on the fact that it’s another yucky Tuesday by keeping busy.  I’ve got a plan to get some miles in tonight on the treadmill.  Cross your fingers that the non-noisy one is open when I get there… I probably could have avoided this issue had I gotten up early like I originally contemplated.  But another hour of sleep seemed much more important when the alarm went off this morning.  Drat.  I’m not one to think clearly at 5:00 in the morning.  Ever.

Who else is excited about the Healthy Living Summit this weekend?  I’m seriously looking forward to meeting everyone!

Awkward Placement

Having a good weekend so far?  I am!

After my work event yesterday, I met my friend Annie at her gym to use one of her visitor’s passes.  It was a gym date.    I was so thankful to get to go- because I could get in a serious weight session.  My workout room is adequate, but it’s nice to have a variety of free weights (versus two sets- neither of which are a good weight for me to do much with).  I got to use quite a few different machines- the hip abductor machine is one of my favs.  It’s also extremely awkward-looking to use (in my opinion).  One of the things I never understood was the placement of that machine in my rec center at college.  It was right next to a huge glass window.  So here I am, legs wide open on this machine, and here comes a tour of high school kids and their parents.  Classy.  The machine belongs in the far corner, slightly hidden.  But maybe that’s just me… 

It was really fun to workout with Annie through most of it!  We did a warmup mile on the track together and settled down to do abs at the end.  She also taught me a little about how to use resistance bands.  I think they’re awesome, but had never really been taught how to use them.  I looked like a nerd, but now I want one for myself.  Does anyone use them often?  Do you feel like they’re better than free weights?

Afterwards, we came back to my place and I cooked for her since she’s always been pretty awesome about inviting me over for dinner.  What did I make?  What else?  Healthified pizza!Well.  The mozzarella didn’t do much for our “healthy meal”.  But calcium and protein are important after a workout.  And the spinach and mushrooms cancel it out.  Right?  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 

I’ve gotten much better at the crust for the pizza.  My first one was a little underdone in the middle and stuck horribly to the pizza stone.  Now I’m much more liberal with the flour and bake the crust for 5 minutes or so before adding everything else.  Perfect-o! 

We also paired it with a salad:More peas, please!  The peppers were Annie’s idea.  And I loved it because I rarely have them unless I’m eating out.  I think I found my new obsession of the week?  Move over broccoli…

We chit-chatted the rest of the night and caught up with each other after the crazy week we had both gone through.  Way better than my typical Red Box night.  Obviously.

My early wakeup calls have ruined me.  I’m a ruined woman.  I’ll never be able to sleep in again.  Ugh.  Today?  I got up at 6:00.  WTF???  I wanted to get up early for my run, but seriously?  Please- feel free to make fun of this.  Because I deserve it.

Today was the big 8-mile day.  It was a bit muggy, but only about 75 degrees when I left my house.  Not bad.  I’ve decided the first mile for me is and will always be crap.  Yep.  You heard me.  Crap.  No wonder I did so horribly on the mile run in gym class when I was 10.  I never find my stride until half way through the second one.  After that, it went pretty smoothly.  I had a group of little girls cheering me on everytime we’d meet each other on the 2.8 mile loop.  Even strangers helped to make my run a little better.  Nice…

My pace was at 8:56.  I really think I need to pick it up a little more in the beginning of the run.  Instead, it’s like I’m nervous to wear myself out before I get halfway through, so I hold back.  One of these days, I should actually pay attention to my pace on my Nike+ before I’m actually done.  I know that’s half the point of wearing it.  But I feel I may lose motivation if I continue to monitor the whole run.  So I don’t know.  I think for now, if I’m having fun doing it the way I’m doing, I should probably not worry so much about time.  I know my opinion on this matter changes every other day.  Bear with me.

We had lunch club today (which I’ll expand on at another time) and I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging at the pool.  The sun has sucked out of me any of the energy I received from the five hours of sleep I got last night (or maybe it could have been the long run?).  Lame.  So I’m gonna go nap it up and go over my options for tonight.  Stay in… go out… stay in… go out…  life is full of hard decisions!

Oh and if you get a chance, feel free to go check out Andrea’s blog, Can You Stay For Dinner?.  She did a feature on me Thursday and I do want to say thank you Andrea, for such a wonderful introduction!  If you’ve never been to her blog, definitely check it out.  Especially if you’re hungry- every post she does is drool-worthy (if it’s not the pictures,  it’s her descriptions of the food that will get ya’!).

Have a good Saturday!