Victory is mine!

Hey, remember that time the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series?

That was pretty neat. We can talk about it again if you’d like…?

No? Well… ok… But can we at least talk about the bet I won with Kace when they played the Phillies for the NLCS title? Because my winnings came in the mail yesterday:

Cue the angels singing and a spotlight coming down from the heavens.

Please understand- I’ve heard ramblings of the amazing Tastykake from some of the east coast girls for QUITE some time now. So when I had a chance to try some out? Count me IN.

My head was buzzing with excitement. Or from inhaling the smell of sugary goodness. Either/or.I shared with my friend at work (I’m SO nice) and we both dug into the Peanut Buttery Kandy Kakes first (we each had our own package- none of that splitting business). Because great minds think alike. And peanut butter and chocolate rock.The “cake” part was spongy and light and the thin layer of peanut butter on top confirmed what I already knew in my heart…

… I’d almost consider moving to Philly. Just for these babies.Good thing I can order them online and don’t have to. Whew…

Now the question is how long will they last? I offered to take some with me to St. Louis next week for the man friend. This will hopefully keep me from face planting in the tin they came in.

He gets me a massage… I bring him a tastykake. That’s fair, right?

If you say “no”, that just means you’ve never had a tastykake before.

Either way- a big thanks goes out to Kace. And the St. Louis Cardinals for winning. But mostly Kace.

Must be a week of new things (heeeeyyyy really awkward transition!). Or sorta new. Or “I haven’t done this in over a year” new.

I’m talking about yoga, people.

Yes, I dusted off the good ol’ Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown dvd (literally- it was  in the back of my media table that my dusting routine never reaches). After the same mix of cardio and weights for quite some time, it seemed appropriate to throw something new into the mix.

Plus I was sore from also breaking out Jillian’s Shred workout earlier in the week and running/ellipticalling sounded a little daunting.

My thighs are now burning thanks to both The Shred and Meltdown. It’s also embarrassing how few chatarunga push ups actually happened.

To be honest, even when doing the yoga dvd regularly (once or twice a week), I couldn’t do those stupid push ups.  Sooooo weak…

So that’s that- my meager attempt to make a few changes. Because I’m a big subscriber to the idea that “you can’t expect change when you’re not changing anything”. And let’s face it. I was in a rut. All cardio and the only action my weights were getting was when I was stubbing my toe on them as I walked by. Not cool.

So let’s do this, shall we? Happy Thursday!

How To Fake It

I always giggle a little when people comment on Mon and my banter.

Because sure, we’re entertaining. Or at least I like to think so. But it’s not like that all the time. Example? As I was cooking dinner in my kitchen on Monday, she was reading the newspaper. No talking. No laughing. Just silence.

Even the coolest kids can be boring. Just don’t let that get around…

And the dress I spoke of? You can actually see it here. I wore it on my birthday last year. You just can’t go wrong with a simple mini dress. It’s not possible. Don’t try to tell me otherwise. And because it IS a mini dress, you can see why I’ve been stepping it up in the gym the last week or two.

To be clear- I’m a firm believer that a little extra working out here and there the two weeks before a vacation WILL NOT make a difference in how I look. Seriously. Do you think anyone (even me) is going to notice that .2 of an inch I lost at the waist for doing so? No. In college, I used to shake my head at the “spring breakers” who would want to lose 5 pounds in two workout sessions the week before spring break.

“Like, oh my gaaaawwwwwwd. I work out for like 15 minutes and nothing happened. I really need to lose 15  pounds before the weekend. Oh my gaaawwwwwd,” as they sip on their 600-calorie post-workout smoothie.

Not happening unless you run a marathon or two on the treadmill while you’re here. And then not eat anything afterwards.

Which I do not encourage (let’s get that straight). One shot of tequila and you’ll pass out for the rest of your spring break. And surely you don’t want to do that. The wet t-shirt contest would lose one of their strongest contenders. Devastating.

However, I am a firm believer in fake it until you make it. And if that extra 15 minutes on the elliptical or session of The Shred makes me feel better about myself running around half-naked for an entire weekend? Well hell- I’ll rock it out.

(Source)

And I have been. The Shred happened last night after work and Mon met me for another early morning workout this morning. 22 on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the stairs. Before I left the gym, some ab work even happened- a move that often gets nixed from the agenda when short on time.

As rough as those first 5 minutes are every morning, I’ve yet to regret a workout after I’m done. Starting the rest of my day is easier. And I feel good about myself. Win-win.

Tonight is going to be restful. Partially because I want to do another longer run tomorrow (oh my gaaaaaaawwwwdddd- my race is coming up!). And partially because there has to be at least some time reserved for, I dunno, packing?

Oh… and Modern Family.

Priorities.

Turkey for you… Turkey for me!

Good morning! 

Did you make it through Tuesday?

I barely did… as always. I like to blame the weather on anything. Along with other things. Busy days at work. Exhaustion… you know… the usual.

But it’s cool. We survived and we’re here. And I have a Cubs game ahead of me. Weather permitting, of course.

Typical. 

After a blur of a day, I came home with the promise of a wine night with my good friend Mon.

Of course, business had to be taken care of first. This included another night of The Shred. It wasn’t originally in my plan, but neither was having to charge a dead ipod.

Even though it’s possible, cardio without my ipod is rough. Some people don’t mind, but it’s the backup behind my thoughts. I specifically remember a time in college where I drove to the gym, then turned around to go all the way back to the house to get my music. Priorities.

So after another session of Level 2 of The Shred (my clear favorite of all workout dvds), I ran to the workout room for a quick 8:29 mile and cooldown mile with some ab work.

No, I still haven’t done more than just 1 or 2 miles at a time since the half marathon. If I keep it under 2 miles or stay on the elliptical, my leg doesn’t really hurt. Anything else? It aches a little. So I’m making an appointment with my trusty ol’ orthopedist.

I hate doctors, so you know this is a big step for me.

Until then? Keeping the mileage low. Almost nonexistent, really. But we’re going with the mentality that every little bit counts.

No worries, I’ve got my comfort food to make me feel better:I know. Holy avocado!

The avocado may or may not have been as ripe as it should have been. But still acceptable according to my patience level. And was a good addition to some of the turkey my mom sent back (let’s hear it for holiday leftovers! woot!), pepperjack cheese and salsa.

Before my drive back on Monday, my mom asked how much turkey I wanted. I said as much as she wanted to give me.

I think I got the whole bird. 

No complaints. Just the sudden urge to sing Adam Sandler’s Thanksgiving Song.

I also didn’t complain when Mon attempted to pour an entire bottle of wine into 2 wine glasses.What do you know? It fit! Although the glass required lifting with two hands for the first few sips.

REALLY big wine glasses are important for wine connoisseurs such as ourselves to have.

And my table needs to be cleaned. Noted.

But that will have to wait with the laundry. After the Cubs game.

Or after I get better from the pneumonia I will get while sitting in the rain at the Cubs game this afternoon.

Either/or.

A Typical Easter

Hello all! As you read this, I am most likely on a highway somewhere between Mid-Missouri and Chicago. Again.

I could probably drive the route with my eyes closed. Which may or may not be any different than driving it in thunderstorms and tornado warnings…

Anyhoo, it was a great couple days back in my humble little hometown.

There were workouts with Jillian (The Shred was picked both times over Yoga Meltdown and No More Trouble Zones- mostly because I wanted the cardio factor). There was an afternoon walk with my mom. The sun did decide to peek around the clouds for a couple of hours and we jumped on the chance to get a little vitamin D in our otherwise cloudy weekend. And then there was the workout of lifting the Easter basket.Over and over again.

And yes, my contribution to the Easter festivities was Goose Island. Typical.

At least my dad enjoyed it.

There was also the food.

Oh my goodness the food.

Have I ever mentioned how I don’t like ham? It’s weird- I’m a fan of everything pork (hellooooo bacon!) but ham is not my thing. So my mom decided it also made sense to make a full turkey. With the ham.It’s like Thanksgiving and Easter all rolled into one!

No complaints. Except from my stomach when it was about to burst at the seams after dessert.Remember how we talked about our dessert “go-to”? These are my mom’s. Coconut Cream Crunch and Almond Joy Cake. Obviously I needed multiple servings of both this weekend.

Screw the candy. This is where it’s at…

Actually, I take that back. I’ll take the candy, too. 

Don’t think I just sat back and let my mom feed me the ENTIRE time. For Easter brunch, we all seem to join in on the fun.

My brother didn’t really lend a hand to the cooking like everyone else did, but someone needed to take the blurry pictures. Typical.

Anyhoo, after three solid days of catching up with various hometown friends and family, I’m a happy girl. With a happy tummy. And happy yoga pants. Happy yoga pants that should probably be worn for the next few days.

Can we classify them as business casual?

I’m not just being sent home with candy (weeeee!) and leftovers (yay!), either. As a product of a farming family, I’m also being sent home with a couple of pounds of sausage, ground beef, steak and pork loin.

Typical.

This is why there is a cooler in the trunk of my car 24/7.

And also why I’ll be firing up the Google in the next few weeks to find recipes and, um, how to properly cook a pork loin.

What? I think this is why I end up having so many meatless days- not only am I too cheap to buy meat, I’m also too lazy to learn how to prepare it…

Whoops. What a dapper bunch we are.

I insisted on taking pictures outside this time. My brother and I never stop to make fun of how many pictures we have in front of the family room entertainment center. I could create an album. It would be a hundred pictures of various outfits and slow height growth (or in my brother’s case, rapid height growth).

But then it started to rain. Again.Typical.

Have a great Monday! Wish me luck that this drive back to the Chi isn’t nearly as treacherous as the drive out…

Not Fair

Glad to hear I’m not the only one who thought snow in April was a little obnoxious. And uncalled for.

Granted, it all melted by the time lunch rolled around- but it’s the principle of the matter. It’s just not fair.

But many things in life aren’t fair.

Sort of like the monopoly the cafeteria in my building has on prices.

I forgot my salad dressing. So I had to buy a packet from the cafeteria.Ranch was one of few options. Oh darn.

I had no qualms with it. Me and my vinaigrettes get along fabulously most days. But that ranch dressing is goooooood. As is my latest read- When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. He has a quirky humor that I can appreciate. Not laugh out loud funny, but I have found myself smirking throughout my entire lunch hour.

Where was I? Oh yes- life’s not fair. I know this because I paid 55 cents for that stupid packet when I had a perfectly good bottle of dressing sitting at home waiting to be taken to work. That 55 cents is roughly 1/3 of how much I paid for that entire bottle of salad dressing last weekend (thanks to a dangerous combo of a sale and a coupon- I’m so savvy).

Pricey mistake if you do this on a regular basis. That shiz adds up. And yes, I watch my lunch budget that closely.

One thing I should be watching more carefully is my morning routine. I turned off the alarm to get me up and do The Shred. Then I turned off the alarm to get me up at my normal time. I finally got up right before the line of “Amy will look and smell clean” and “Amy will look like a wreck and forget half her makeup”.

Guys have it so easy. It’s really not fair.

Sleeping in has become a nasty little habit as of late (if you hadn’t noticed). Maybe my downstairs neighbors will be thankful that I’m pushing my 20-minute workout to 6:30 at night instead of 5:30 in the morning? You’re welcome. I don’t know who you are because you are terribly anti-social, but you’re welcome.

Today I’m blaming part of my sleep in on the Royal Wedding. And Lifetime. Neither of which I am overly obsessed with, but when you combine the two and get a cheesy movie about William and Kate’s love story?

I was sucked in. And am pretty sure that if anyone had called after it was over, I would have answered with a British accent. It’s so much more elegant than my own- a weird combination of subtle country drawl (or as my friend once told me, my “closet hick accent”) and random “Chicagoan” words/phrases.

Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

So yes, to get back to the subject, I’m blaming the Royal Wedding for me missing my appointment with Jillian Michaels this morning.

That or maybe the fact that it’s Tuesday? And I’d much rather stay in bed…

Stupid Tuesdays.

Time To Refocus

Good morning everyone! Happy April 18th!Wait a sec- what is this? NOT funny, dude.

I heard the forecast calling for snow. But when I got up a little early to fit in The Shred and saw this? Accumulation? COME ON.

I’m straight up discombobulated.

As is my body when it comes to my workouts since the St. Louis Half Marathon. (Did you like that transition? I enjoyed it.)

I guess I’m just feeling a little lost? Maybe because I haven’t ran once since the half. Not sure what my deal is with that one. All of my trips to the gym (all 3 of them) have been a combo of elliptical and the stairmill. Like yesterday- 25 minutes on both.

And I’ve done The Shred twice. Jillian punished me severely for letting the dvd collect dust for a couple of weeks again. Lesson learned. With this being my week of going into work a little later, I plan to spend more quality time with Jillian and get my strength back to par.

And even though the elliptical and The Shred is a workout- it’s not running. I miss it. Hopefully this week I’ll start it up again without too many issues. Because I’ve got another race in June…

The Run for the Zoo in Lincoln Park! I did the 5k race a couple of years ago with my cousin, and this year I’ll be doing the 10k with my girl, Annie! It’s a fun race because it actually goes through parts of the zoo. Totally beats the view I get from running a few miles on the tread.

And it hopefully gives me some motivation to get back into the swing of things. Annie’s already been hard at work training for it, so I’ve got my work cut out for me before June. Now that the half marathon business is behind me, I want to focus on speed a little more. All the longer races had me focusing on distance. I miss feeling fast. Can’t even tell you the last time I had an 8:00-minute mile. Time to fix that.

Alright… time for me to go scrap snow off my car and head to work.

Never thought I’d say that in April…

Friday Night Cupcakes

It seems I have been on somewhat of a baking hiatus.

Let’s blame the Vegas vacation, half marathon training, and overall crazy busy schedule as of late.

No worries- Friday night I recognized the severity of this problem and took efforts to fix it.A sweet friend of mine, Danielle, had no idea a surprise birthday party was being thrown in her honor over the weekend. I already had plans before the invite came through and couldn’t make it. So I did the next best thing and sent some love through cupcakes.

I had no idea what to make, but did know I wanted to use the peanut butter M&M’s I had picked up on a whim from Target’s Valentine’s Day clearance. Finally, I settled on brownies. My only issue was finding a recipe to use. There were SO MANY good ones to choose from. But because I was lacking unsweetened chocolate, it took time before I found this one that didn’t require any.

Can you believe I have every other kind of chocolate except for unsweetened? Unheard of!

Because I used milk chocolate, white chocolate, and M&M’s, the brownies were loaded with sweet. So the icing needed to counterbalance it just a little.

See how much thought I put into such things? Baking is taken seriously around these parts…

Who else would I go to but Paula Deen to help a girl out? Butter was being used and she is the queen of such things.  Aaaahhhh her cream cheese frosting… I lightened it up a little by subbing in some milk for a little of the butter. This is usually how I do it because I prefer the butter cream to be a little less heavy. 

And it’s much easier to mix this way.  Just a dab on top did the trick.

We tested two of them just to be sure.The cupcakes go lovely with a dry white wine.

Not that I would know or anything…

Danielle informed me that she even had one for breakfast yesterday after the party.

I approved. One thing great about birthday weekends- anything goes. 

All the sugar from my baking adventures is probably what helped to propel me through yesterday’s workout. Not sure if anyone noticed but myself, but the strength training was horribly lacking. The Shred was popped into the dvd player with a little apprehension. It had been at least 3 weeks. It wasn’t going to be pleasant.

The workout itself wasn’t awful. But as I sit here and type this today, my thighs are burning.

Sorry Jillian… I’ll never ignore you for this long again.

I also did a little elliptical work to get the blood pumping and spent some time as the “cell phone talker” as I walked on the treadmill.  Multi-tasking!

*If it happens when no one else is in the workout room, it doesn’t count as rude. That’s my rule. 

Question of the day… how did everyone sleep last night? Well? Or did Daylight Savings get the best of ya?

I definitely did not go to bed until about 30 to 40 minute later than usual. Not much you can do when you’re just not that tired!

Just So Wild

G’Morning!

I could not be more well-rested.  After several crazy weekends of running around and road trips, I took this last weekend off to stay put and have a couple low key nights with friends.  Each night ended up with me falling asleep easily by midnight.  Only to wake up around 3:00 on my couch (groggy and confused) and having to drag myself to a more proper place for sleep.

I’m just so wild.

I was efficient with my downtime, no worries.  Caught up on emails, cleaned, ran errands… you know- responsible stuff. 

And I made stew.

Yes.  Wild.Last time I was home, my mom sent up more goods from the garden (remember- I lived on a farm). This included canned tomato juice. It’s usually used for some crazy good chili, but I’m low on ground beef and have plenty of other things around- it was time to switch it up.

Oh and I also make more honey oatmeal bread.  It’s officially an obsession.Into my massive crock pot went one freakishly large sweet potato, 2 cans of black beans, approximately a cup of corn (I just poured it until satisfied), 2ish cups of mushrooms (dumped until satisfied) and half of a yellow onion. I also threw in some jalapeno chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s on a whim. Best decision ever.

Interesting fact- red onions do not make me cry. I barely cut into a yellow onion and tears are streaming down my face during a “my eyyyyyeeeessss!!!” moment.  How irritating.

Also thrown in was garlic salt, red chili pepper flakes, pepper, a little paprika and parsley. All should be tossed in according to your taste. Because I like spicy, you can be assured I used a heavy hand with each one…

Clearly I don’t follow recipes when cooking.I just sat with my feet propped up on the couch as it cooked away for 4 hours.  Ahhhh…. gotta love the crock pot.

I think my crock pot needs a manly man’s name. That way, when someone calls and asks what I’m up to, I can just say, “oh you know, I’m just resting after such a long day of work. And Hank is being a dear by cooking dinner…”

Or maybe I could make him sexy and exotic?  Cristiano possibly?  Such difficult decisions… 

Actually, it’s not.  I choose Cristiano.

Anyway, it was definitely a spicy dish (probably just Cristiano trying to get me all hot and bothered). I loved it. And now there is a massive amount of stew leftover. 

I’m definitely one to freeze almost anything, so I’ll probably keep a serving or two for this week and throw the rest in the freezer.

Thanks for dinner, Cristiano.

I really did appreciate all his hard work after a long day. After Saturday’s 7-mile run, I wasn’t sure how long my “strength training” would be.

But after all my “wild” nights of falling asleep early, there was plenty of energy to go around.  Level 2 of The Shred, 20 minutes on the stairmill, and even a quick mile run was thrown in because I felt like it.

Sure, technically there was more cardio than strength, but it’s the weekend and I do what I want.

This week’s weather is looking GOOD.  I really wanted to take my long run outside on Saturday, but there’s still a massive amount of snow sticking around. And that’s not cool.  Cross your fingers that the climb to a 50-degree day over the week will take care of a lot of it so I can hit the trails over the weekend. The treadmill and I need to spend some time apart.

Have a good day, everyone!

(Oh and PS- if you want to know where I got “Cristiano” from, do yourself a favor and google search the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. There ya go. Happy Valentine’s Day from me.)

Time Wasted With a Sweet Potato

Thanks for helping me welcome Cecil in my life.  I don’t think he realizes all the adventures he has ahead of him. 

On the training front, everything is still running smoothly (like my pun?!?!  ahahahaa). I made it to the gym in the AM for a 3-mile run and was not bothered with the overcrowded nonsense I dealt with on Monday morning.  Thank goodness.

So “yay me!” for going in the morning, but the first mile was ROUGH.  I may have still been half asleep.  Turns out maybe a warm-up on the elliptical may be a good idea versus the  usual walking I do. At least when it comes to the morning running.

After that initial mile, everything was fine.  Maybe even great if you don’t mind my bragging. 3 miles at 8:20 pace. It was the last mile that did that- I started it at 8:07 and worked my way down to 7:47. Truckin’.

Wednesdays are a running and strength combo, so I did The Shred later after work to make sure I took care of business for the day.  Nothing new to report there.

After all that, I did one of the most stupid things ever on a night when I worked later and also exercised before eating.  I made a new dinner. That took longer than average (i.e. 10 minutes). What was I thinking???

Sweet potato bites.  Because I don’t want to use the term “balls” for fear that my readers really will think I’m obsessed with making balls jokes.

Trying to keep it classy up in this joint for once…

It was already decided sweet potatoes would be on the menu. Because I wanted them. And wanted to try something new for some reason.  Being as how I’m not the most gourmet gal in the kitchen, most things that sparked my interest required a trip to the grocery store.  And that was not happening.

Then, I ran across about a million different varieties of this sweet potato “ball” thing.  Again, I didn’t have the exact ingredients for any one of the recipes, but the idea stuck.  So I just sort of read a few and decided to wing it.

This must be how to live dangerously on a Wednesday night. 

Firstly, let’s just say I need to invest in a potato masher. And peeler.

Actually, nix the peeler.  I have a feeling that would only end in bloodshed.

The mashing was the hardest part. Mixing in the pecans and a little brown sugar was easy.I didn’t overdo it on the brown sugar. My reasoning was that I didn’t have regular corn flakes and had to use Special K. So there was plenty of sweet going on already.

I didn’t know if they would keep their shape, so after I rolled the sweet potato mix in the Special K, I used my mini cupcake tin to bake them. (350 degrees at 15 minutes)Cute, yes? One semi-large sweet potato worked almost perfectly for this.

And here’s what I really learned…It was a lot of work for something that would most likely have been just as good as mashed sweet potatoes.

However, I would assume it would be more fun for kids to eat this way? And it looks pretty. So if that’s something you find important or if you’re planning a party, it could probably be worth it. And I say to go for it (and also to try them rolled in coconut).

But I probably won’t do it again. Don’t get me wrong- they were delicious, they just took too long! I like my 10-15 minute meals during the week. Rachel Ray can eat my dust.

Rolling My Eyes

(Source)

Not to start off your Thursday with a post of complaints or anything…

But dude- sleep is not wanting to be my friend.  What did I do?  Was it something I said?  I swear I was joking when I said sleep was overrated…

Please come back! I miss you!

I blame anxiety. (Insert sarcastic sigh and eye roll.)

Anyway… yesterday was pretty dull. Nothing overly crazy happened. Nothing of major excitement value. Ho hum…

Geez… is anyone even still reading this?

You are?  Hooray!  You get cake!Talk about a balanced meal.

This was that leftover cake from an office birthday I mentioned yesterday.  Every time I opened the refrigerator it stared me down. When I went to grab my lunch, I opened the door and the half-cake said, “let’s party”.

You don’t have to tell me twice.

Afterwards, I rolled my eyes and said to myself, “there goes my run”.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of sugar in my daily diet. I’ll own up to it. But I like to space it out like a responsible sugar addict. Buttercream does not allow for this.  This particular afternoon wasn’t so bad- no real sugar crash. Not surprised- with my lack of sleep, everything else is out of whack. *Eye roll*

The workout didn’t seem to suffer.  As soon as I got home, The Shred was thrown in the dvd player and started. Another round of Level 1. But I’m *this close* to attempting Level 2 with the 8-lb’ers mixed in. Nervousness.

After that, because it’s a strength training AND run day, I headed to the treadmill. A light 3-miler. Did a little chatting with some people in the gym as I was going. The girl next to me just started running less than a year ago (6ish months?) and has shaved closed to 2 MINUTES off her pace time. Isn’t that insane?

Anyway, I was able to average an 8:29 pace. Which is fine.  Although I’m completely aware I’ll have to push a little more on some of these shorter runs if I ever want to beat my pace from the Rock n’ Roll half marathon last year. Nothing new there. *Eye roll*

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep or just the fact that it’s my early week at work, so I’m constantly feeling rushed.  Why is it that it always happens on one of the days that I’m rushing to get to work on time that when I start my car, the gas light pops on?

What would really be helpful is if it goes on, but then proceeds to start blinking once you’re less than 5 miles.  So it goes from “this is sort of important” to “HEY YOU- get some gas or I quit right now. I’m not playin’ around”.

Either way, I stopped off for a quick fill-up because I’ve played that game and was not in the mood to stand on the side of the highway calling for help if I lost.  Because, among other things, it’s flippin’ cold out there.

And of course, since I’m rushing, I totally spazz on which side my gas tank is on. 

Yes, I’ve owned my car for over three years.

Not only did I roll my eyes in this case, but everyone standing around their cars did, too. Stupid female drivers… 

*Oh and I’m aware I freaked a few people out with my discussing (and dismissing) a traffic accident the other night without much detail. Don’t worry- everyone’s fine.  I say this because it looked like it was just a fender bender. Throw that and a tow truck in the mix and you’ve got quite an issue in the express lanes (there are only 2 and the first exit out of them was still very far away at that point).

Important question of the day- Who’s going to replace Regis?!?!?