Monthly Archives: April 2010

See I told you I’d be back! I left work early to buy a gift for my niece’s first and communion and to by some food for the salads I’m bringing to my mom’s birthday party tomorrow (more on that later). Then I met up with “the boys” at Buzzard Billy’s a La Crosse favorite!

They serve Cajun Creole food. We started out with some Buzzard Eggs.

  These are CRAZY! It’s chicken stuffed with a jalapeno, wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Definitely a indulgence to be enjoyed in moderation. Of course there was Blue Moon to be had!

I had crawfish etoufee for my entre (only able to finish about half).

After dinner I headed across the street to the fitness expo to pick up my packet for the bike tour.

You could feel the excitement as participants at all levels picked up their packets. I think it’s so great that this festival offers something for all levels of fitness.  There were lots of fun booths to check out and lots of freebies given away. Check out the swag I got from the race.

I love that the t-shirt specifies which event I’m participating in.

I actually purchased the water bottle and the fanny pack. I don’t have a aluminum water bottle and this one was only $5! I thought the fanny pack would come in handy for longer runs (when I start training for my half marathon) since it holds a water bottle and it was only $2!

I came home and got my things ready for the bike tour.

Clothes: bike shorts, bike jersey, sports bra, and light socks (I might end up wearing a light jacket if it’s cool out).

Gear: helmet, gloves, sun glasses, shoes (I also added my Garmin to this pile).

Fuel: Gatorade, GU, and Luna Moons (like fruit snacks).

I think I’m all set! The weather isn’t suppose to be bad BUT it’s suppose to be VERY windy which could make things really challenging. It will definitely be an experience. I’m just glad to be part of such a great event taking place in my home town.

Tonight I also made 2 salads for my mom’s birthday dinner tomorrow. But I think I’ll save those for another post. I’ll be headed to bed soon to get enough rest for my long ride! See you after the tour!

Hi there! Yay! It’s Friday! Whooooo Hooooooo! I’ve got a busy weekend ahead but I am so glad it’s Friday! Yesterday I got 70 visits to the blog! Thanks everyone who came over from The Fitnessita for a visit. I hope you liked what you saw and will come back for more!

I just thought I’d do a quick post to let everyone know I’ll be back later tonight with a fun post. So far all I’ve done today is my swimming workout and work. I’m heading to the Fitness Expo after work to pick up my packet for the La Crosse Fitness Festival Bike Tour. Then me and “the boys” (yes Gardner is back in town for another weekend) are going out to eat at a fun restaurant downtown. I also have to make some salads for my mom’s birthday party and get ready for my race! So a very newsy and fun post is yet to come! See you later!

Hey there! It’s Wednesday….half way through the week right? I don’t know about you but work is kicking my butt this week. I’ll be happy for the weekend to get here!

Not too much new to report here. I’m on day four of sticking to my better eating plan. I’ve tracked my calories every day and tried to get lots of fruits and veggies in. Today when I was at yoga over my lunch hour I got hungry and was actually craving the veggies I had packed for lunch.I’ve actually had a hard time meeting my calorie goal ( okay so it hasn’t been that hard), which tells me I’ve done a good job cutting the “junk” out of my diet. A major thing I’ve cut is alcohol. For some reason the last couple of weeks I’ve come home from work and had at least one glass of wine or a beer. Not terrible, I know, but I definitely feel the difference. I’ve also been adding Amazing Grass to my green smoothies in the morning and that has given me a ton of energy!

Yesterday I did my Triathlon Training Strength training workout for the build phase. This one has been especially challenging. I am always sore afterwards. I’m thinking of skipping it on Friday so my legs aren’t aching for my 32 mile bike tour on Saturday. I also ran 40 minutes after lifting which was really tough! I powered through though. It might have been have been more challenging than usual since I left my MP3 player at the Y. I figured it was a good idea to run without music since that’s the way it will go down at the triathlon. Let’s just say, I’m not a big fan of running without music.

I haven’t taken too many pictures lately but here is a little friend who has decided to make her home with us

She looks kind of evil in this last picture! I saw her babies peak their head up but couldn’t get a picture. I’m going to keep trying to capture them, they’re so cute! It’s a sure sign of spring!

what your dog or cat does all day when you’re not home? I think I know what mine does.

Not much new to report. Just thought I’d pop in and leave you with this picture I forgot to include in yesterday’s post. Have a good Tuesday!

Hi folks! Here’s to the start of another week! I just got back from a lovely bike ride but more on that later!

In an effort to clean up my eating yesterday I prepared a bunch of healthy eats for the week ahead. First up a GIANT salad!

Chopping all the veggies makes a nice easy go to meal for lunch or a nice side with dinner. Then I made something I’ve been longing to make for awhile now, Tabouleh. You start out with a grain that is very near and dear to my heart, bulgur.

I LOVE bulgur and have a nice container just sitting around my house. All I did was boil 1 1/4 C of water add 1 C of bulgur to the water, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 25-30 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. While you wait for the bulgur to cook you can chop your veggies. I had 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, and bunch of green onions.

Add one can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans. Then add the cooked bulgur.

Mix it all together and add 3 TBSP of lemon juice, 2 tsp of olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, dill, mint (just a little), salt and pepper to taste.

Besides prepping food and doing the laundry I did a whole lot of NOTHING yesterday. The hubby and I rented some movies and hung out in our jammy pants all day. It was GLORIOUS! I needed a day of rest like that!

Don’t worry, I’ve made up for it today. I taught cycling at 6am this morning. Then I went home drank a quick green smoothie and got to work on the house. Monday is usually my cleaning day and clean I did! I even scoured the kitchen garbage can, yuck! I also practiced some Zumba songs and brushed out the doggie.

Don’t worry I had some fun in there too. Part of training for any event be it a triathlon or a 5K run is practicing and being prepared. You want to try and mimic what it will feel like on race day. I mentioned last week that I bought some gear for my bike. 

I wanted to attach the bike pump and install the water bottle holder before my long ride this weekend so I could see if they got in the way of anything when I biked (like my leg brushing against something). I also wanted to try my new tires out. After a few searches on the Internet just to make sure I knew what I was doing I successfully installed both. Now my bike is ready to go!

Even though I had already taught cycling, cleaned like a madwoman, AND did a little dancing for Zumba I thought I’d take my bike for a little spin down the marsh trails near our house and a long the river. It is such a beautiful day and I knew it would be a nice easy ride.

    It ended up being about a 35 minute ride, 7 1/2 miles. Very nice and I felt good that I got to “practice” with all my new gear.

Well, I better jump in the shower, I’m a sweaty mess after all that! Have a great week!

Hi there! Are you having a good weekend? I am!

I had an AWESOME swim yesterday. For the past 5 weeks I have always done my swim workouts after a strength training session so my arms are not that fresh. What a difference having fresh arms made yesterday! I felt like I could fly through the water. It was kind of strange teaching cycling afterwards. I didn’t really feel sweaty because my skin was still damp from the swim. About half way through the workout I really had to go to the bathroom! Swimming is a diuretic and water naturally gets pushed out of your body when you swim. Plus I drink water while swimming to stay hydrated. I just had to keep teaching. I was also STARVING when I started class which I knew was not a good thing. I ate a snack bar right after class and then stopped for a green tea latte at a coffee shop.

I also met up with my very good friend Marianne and her mom for lunch and shopping! It was so much fun. I got 4 tops, a jacket, and a pair of dress shorts all under $100! It was fun but exhausting. I had to go to work later in the evening. When “the boys” got home from their Saturday adventures they were pretty tired too and didn’t want to go out so we just ate left over pizza.

I feel like I have another confession to make. Remember when I decided to join SparkPeople? If not you can read about it here. Initially I was doing really well tracking my calorie intake and what not but lately not so much. I even managed to shed a few pounds, now I’m back where I started. I guess I need to get over the fact that just because I’m in training doesn’t mean I can eat whatever I want and however much I want of food. SparkPeople does an excellent job adjusting your calorie intake to your activity out put. I burn about 3500-4500 calories a week (this week I’m thinking I’ll burn 5000 with the bike tour!).  So I GET TO eat a lot of calories. But, I tend to go over my calorie goal ALOT. Do I want to be “skinny”? No. But I do want to be at a healthy weight and I’m not right now. The dressing room mirrors didn’t lie yesterday. I also want to eat food that will fuel my body for these crazy ass workouts I’m doing. So, this week I’m recommitting myself to better eating. I know it will help me to feel my best.

As far as eating goes today is starting out on the right foot! Look what Gardner brought me!

I bought a sample pack of this awhile back but never ordered any (you can’t buy it in any stores here). Since Gardner lives in the Twin Cities he picked some up for me at Whole Foods. Some of the benefits of Amazing Grass

• Increases energy and boosts immune system
• Detoxifies and cleanses your body
• Fast acting absorption of energizing and alkalizing nutrients.

You can read more about Amazing Grass on their website. I used it this morning to make a VERY GREEN smoothie.

My smoothie contained

• 1 C skim milk
• 2 C spinach
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp of ground flax
• 1 banana
• 1 orange
• 1 packet of Amazing Grass

So good! I feel ready to go! I have to head off to work in a bit, then I might hit a yoga class later. It’s gloomy and cold out today. Glad I had my picnic last Sunday.

Hope the end of your weekend goes well!

No! Not the movie, the restaurant!

When I got home from work I found “the boys” getting their weekend on with some rum and coke! We headed out down the giver to The Great River Roadhouse one of THE BEST pizza places in the area! It’s a very rustic looking place, perfect for my hunter and fisherman!

They are located south of our home town pretty much in the middle of no where right along the beautiful Mississippi River. The weather was kind of crumby so I didn’t take any pictures outside. When we got there I was definitely ready to get my weekend on!

Yummmmmmm! Blue Moon! It was definitely casual Friday for me yesterday! We ordered two pizzas. A simple pepperoni for “the boys” and a more adventurous one for me, buffalo chicken pie!

The pepperoni is an XL and the chicken is a L. We only finished about half of each (the boys tried some of the chicken pizza too). More shenanigans.

A funny thing happened after dinner. We were driving back to town and “the boys” suggested we stop for ice cream. I LOVE ice cream My motto is, “there’s always room for ice cream.” We planned on stopping at this great little neighborhood shop. It took us a while to get back to town and as we driving I thought to myself, “Ya, know I’m pretty satisfied right now, almost a little full. If I eat ice cream I think I’ll feel kind of gross. I think I’ll skip the ice cream.” WHAT?! I NEVER (and I mean NEVER EVER) skip the ice cream. I just knew I wouldn’t feel good physically if I ate it. My mouth still wanted something sweet so I had a taste of the husband’s ice cream and also ate a Dove chocolate when I got home. I was pretty shocked at myself! This is definitely a good thing!

I could not sleep in so I’m up bright and early eating “first breakfast.” I need a little fuel in me. Since I skipped my swim workout on Thursday   I decided that before I teach cycling today I’ll do 30 minutes in the pool. I generally don’t do a swim paired with another workout, should be interesting with the wet hair! I figure it’s good practice for the triathlon since you bike after you swim. Of course you don’t get a long time to shower and change clothes completely.

Speaking of the triathlon, I’m nearing the end of week 5 of my training This is the first week where I feel like my body has taken a beating. I am so SORE! I hope this means I am building muscle, I am in the “build phase” after all. I think the last time I didn’t feel sore was Monday. I am really looking forward to my rest day tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’ll go to yoga. I could use the stretching and I LOVE the class but then am I truly resting my body? Sometimes the class can be quite challenging.

See you later! Maybe you’ll even get a double post! If not have a great Saturday!

Hey everyone! It’s Friday! Yay! It’s been a heckofa week over here! I am ready for a fun weekend! I don’t have any “extra” work obligations just my regular Saturday night and Sunday morning gigs. Plus my hubby has a friend coming to town ( remember Gardner from our weekend adventure?) AND I have friends in town too. Should provide for some good times!

I’ve spent the morning at work cooking lunch for some students. I sort of made up my own potato soup recipe. Sorry, no pictures I left the camera at home. I was pretty darn proud of myself since I usually have to follow a recipe to the “t” when I make something.

Last night I did cooking experiment number 3. Millet black bean burgers from the Clean Food cookbook! I had never used millet before and found it for pretty cheap in the bulk bins at the Co-Op.

It kind of reminded me of a mix between cous cous and quinoa. First I had to toast it.

Wow the evening light in my kitchen is really bad! Then I had to let it simmer in some water for 25 minutes. While I waited for it to cook I drank one of these

Yum! I also had to saute an onion and some spices and then mix with black beans and corn. Then I mixed in the cooked millet and some cornmeal.

I formed a few patties with the mixture and fried in a frying pan with some olive oil.

I cut the recipe in half because I knew I would be the only one eating these and I wasn’t sure if I would like them. The full recipe was for 10 but I got 7 out of just half the recipe. I ate two “burgers” with a delicious salad!

   These were really tasty! I may have gone back for one more burger while watching TV They were also pretty easy except for having to wait for the millet to cook they didn’t take much time either. I will definitely make them again.

I took my  bike over to the shop and found out I need to make an appointment for a tune up, they are booked until May 10th! I better get on that. They also told me I could install the air pump and the water bottle myself. Score! I saved some money. Oh wait! They looked at my tires and said they were dry and going to crack and fall apart! So, I had to shell out $60 for new tires plus labor! Ouch! I also bought some GU and other fuel type products to try on my long rides and brick workouts. I’m a little nervous because the first time I’ll have a chance to try the new tires will be the 30 mile tour I’m doing next weekend. I might had to take her out for a spin before than.

Well, that’s all I have for now! We’re planning on taking the hubby’s friend to a cool pizza joint down the river. I’ll be sure to bring my camera! Have a good weekend!

Howdy folks! How’s your Thursday going? Mine has been pretty busy here at work. I’m in the midst of a big project (a different one than the one I messed up the other day) and spent most of the day on the phone and in meetings! I was quite happy to get out of the office and do a little grocery shopping for a lunch I’m hosting tomorrow. I may or may not have stopped at Java Detour for a Raspberry Green Tea Latte…Yum!

So, I realized something yesterday and I must make a confession about my lifestyle. I may do A LOT to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I exercise on a daily basis, I eat wholesome food about 80% of the time, I do not deny myself “treats” ( the other 20% of the time). There is one thing I don’t do which I am beginning to see as unhealthy for myself and for the environment. I don’t eat organic food. Unless I’m looking for a specialty items that the Food Co-Op only carries in organic I generally chose regular produce over organic. Why do I do this? The number one reason is cost. I’ve told myself for a long time that I can afford to eat healthy just not THAT healthy. Now, I’m begriming to see why it might be important to my health and the environment. I came to this realization last night at my youth group gathering. I took my youth to the Hillview Greenhouse. A couple from our church run this greenhouse as way involve older adults in our community in meaningful work. Not only is their purpose to provide this service to the elderly in our community but they also want to produce a sustainable organic product to be used in our community.

Overall it was a very cool presentation. I may be rethinking my produce choices, especially those I buy regularly like spinach, lettuce, and apples. I definitely want to try and support this local organization.

As promised here is cooking experiment # 2 for the week. Can you guess what I made?

Almond Butter! I read a lot about this on other food blogs. It seemed simple enough. Just process whole, raw almonds in your food processor until they reach the desired consistency. Add what ever flavoring you want. It takes a lot of time, bowl scrapping, and patience.

I have to admit I almost lost my patience with this one. It stayed the consistency of a dough ball for a very long time. I thought it would never get smooth. My food processor also got very hot which kind of freaked me out.  I also may have added a little too much vanilla, it’s a bit over powering. Over all I think it will work. I haven’t tried it on toast yet but I’ve added it to my oats and it’s pretty good. Cheaper than buying almond butter too. There are some other fun recipes for almond and other nut butters I want to try too.

I did NOT so my triathlon training today. I am still SUPER sore from my Tuesday workout. I managed to run 3 miles yesterday without too much pain. Late last night a gal from the Y called to see if I would sub her Group Strength class. I was going to do my strength workout and swim so I figured skipping the swim wouldn’t hurt too much. Plus I needed the money (new camera).

I have a surprise night off since no one signed up to go to the soup kitchen. I plan on doing another kitchen experiment (stay tuned), walking the doggie, and maybe taking my bike in to get tuned up. I am for sure getting a portable tire changing kit and an additional water bottle holder. Have a great day!