Monthly Archives: July 2010

Hey there! I am still recovering from the mission trip but I am almost feeling back to “normal.” I just want you to know that the pictures in tonight’s post are all because of my husband! He saw my dinner plate and said, “Now that should be put on your blog! Look at all those colors!” He also cooked dinner I might add but first onto other things!

Yesterday I went to yoga at the Y with favorite instructor Mandy. I have not been going to yoga at all this summer! It was glorious! But today my arms were really sore! I must get back into my yoga routine. Other than that Brian and I did our bi-monthly big grocery shopping trip, I went to church, I did the laundry, finished writing a paper for grad school, and sat around watching movies and trying to catch up on blogs (I’m still 51 behind!).

Today I slept in and it was WONDERFUL! Except for by the time I got up it was already pretty hot! It has been such a sweltering summer! All I had on my running plan was a 3 mile easy run. I was tempted not to catch up on the blogs and mark them all as read but then I would have missed Angela’s post on negative splits. I took her advice and check out these mileage times!

Mile 1: 9:52

Mile 2: 9:06

Mile 3: 8:52!

3 miles in 27:55

I was particularly proud of mile 3! It was a hard run but I felt so good when I was done! When I got back from my run I stretched and  enjoyed day 3 of having a green smoothie for breakfast!

I cleaned the casa today and also got back in the kitchen to make these tasty veggie burgers also from Angela! They were so delicious! Very heavy on the curry. If you don’t like curry these might not be your thing but I love curry so these were right up my alley! They were also quick and easy to make. I’m glad I got to add another veggie burger recipe to my collection!

Now onto dinner. Check out this beautiful plate!

This would be sweet potato fries, broccoli fresh from our garden, and the husband’s special  venison burgers! I won’t say what exactly is in them besides  venison but they are THE BEST! You can see the husband enjoying a big bite of his in the background!

I also enjoyed a glass (or two) of McManis Pinot Grigio. Now we are just chilling out watching a movie we DVRed! Tomorrow it’s back to the office and then Zumba! Haven’t taught in two weeks! Hope I’m not too rusty! Have a good night!

Hey! I’m back! Wow! A whole week without blogging! I did miss it but I truly was working and I’m sure you would have gotten tired with all my blabbering about taking care of 7 teenagers! We traveled to Cedar Rapids Iowa where two years ago there was a devastating flood that they are still recovering from. We worked in a low income neighborhood scraping and painting houses and doing liter clean up. It was a lot of hard work but very rewarding. Here are my 7 kids outside the house we painted.

I love teenagers  and I was really lucky to have such a good bunch of kids, but let me tell you no one should have seven at one time! I am exhausted!

My eating on the trip was absolutely TERRIBLE! I’m talking sugary cereal, regular peanut butter, white bread, artificial flavors, very few veggies and way too many treats! My body was definitely feeling the unhealthy effects of this food. I thoroughly enjoyed my green smoothie this morning. It’s time to get back to healthy eating!

I did manage to get two runs in while I was on the trip. I did the first one before our first day of work so I still felt pretty fresh. Four of the seven kids came with me! We ran down this long country road flank on both sides with corn fields! I also ran on the last day of work.It was hard to get up early knowing I would be doing physical work all day but I did it! I’m glad I kept up with my running. It made my 5 mile run this morning a little easier!

When I got home last night Brian and I went out for Sushi! It was the perfect, light, meal after a crazy busy week. I wish I could remember what each of the Sushi rolls were called but I can’t!

I do know the one in the middle is the Queen Roll! I ordered that one!

Check out Brian’s mad chopstick skills!

I was actually glad Brian woke me up early so I could get in that 5 mile run before it go too hot. It also gave me the whole day to relax and recover. I’ve been catching up on my DVRed shows,  catching up on Facebook, and reading blog posts. I have 160 waiting for me in my Google Reader! Yikes! I might also need a nap later, I am still so tired!

Hope you are having a great Saturday and it is great to be back!

Hello! How’s you Saturday going? It is SUPER hot here!

I busted out a 4 mile run this morning and it was very challenging! I never thought I’d say this but I am looking forward to the cooler days of fall if only for the good running weather. I was literally dripping in sweat! I don’t normally like to do this but for the last mall I ditched my running singlette and just ran in my sports bar. I don’t really feel like I look good enough physically to be doing this but I was just so hot and I felt so much cooler without my shirt!

Last night we hung out with Trent and his family again. I didn’t take too many pictures just one really good when when all three little girls seemed to be posing just for me!

After my run this morning I enjoyed a really delicious and cold breakfast of over night oats with banana softserve. Remember the almond butter from yesterday? I sliced the banana in half and put some AB in between the two halves before freezing it. So good!

I didn’t layer the oats and softserve today just to save time and save me washing another dish. This was the perfect breakfast after a hot run!

I’m trying to eat all the “Kristin” food in the house before I leave for a week. I’m doing a pretty good job. There are only a few pears left in the fridge.

Today I also cleaned the house and did laundry. I think I’m all set for my trip. I can’t believe this will be my last post for almost a week! Actually a week from now the whole thing will be over. I know it’s going to be a great trip but I always get a little nervous having so much responsibility, especially for other people’s kids!

I’m sure the next time I’ll post I’ll have already enjoyed a green smoothie and maybe a glass of wine! See you in a week!

Hiiiiiiiii! Happy Friday! I know for some people it was a short week but Friday is always a welcome sight don’t you think? Mine has been very nice and quiet.

Last night we met up with Brian’s friend Trent and his wife Michelle. They are in town from Colorado! Trent’s mom lives just down the street from us and hosted a pizza party for Trent, his family, and all their local friends who they hardly get to see. We will actually be heading out to Colorado in August to visit them! Trent and Michelle have three adorable daughters, Annika who’s four, Mikala who just turned three, and Alyssa who is 16 months old. Check out these cutie pies!

Alyssa

Annika

Mikala

Aren’t they adorable? Brian got a picture of me with Annika, Mikala, and Sidney a little girl who’s parents were also at the party.

I think Mikala has some chocolate ice cream on her chin! It was a very fun night. I also had a new to me beer.

Berghoff Sundown Dark. Their web-site is under construction other wise I would link it for you. They brew out of Monroe Wisconsin. I usually don’t like dark beer but this was really good. Pam also had an awesome salad bar and a couple types of pizza. Sorry, didn’t snap a photo for you!

Today I’ve been packing for the mission trip, writing a paper for grad school and I taught a Group Strength Class at the Y. I did find some time for some fun kitchen experiments. I made a FABULOUS batch of Overnight Oats with Banana Blueberry Softserve!

I also whipped up a batch of almond butter. The last time I made almond butter it didn’t turn out as I had hoped. I added too much vanilla and it was really dry and sticky. I decided not to add any vanilla this time and if it got to the sticky point and just wouldn’t smooth out I would add a little oil. Guess what? It turned out perfectly!

I did add a little cinnamon at the end. I ate some with some raw carrots and it was still warm! Yum! I will never buy expensive nut butter again. It’s so easy and much cheaper to make yourself!

I’ve also have  Buffalo Chicken Lasagna simmering away in this bad boy!

My house smells AMAZING! This is the one of Brian’s favorites!

That’s all I’ve got for now. Tonight we are headed out to Trent’s dad’s hobby farm to hang out some more. Maybe this time I’ll actually take some pictures of the adults!

Hey there! What’s shake’n? I’m not sure if I mentioned this but the church where I work is currently under construction. On most days it’s just slightly annoying but today has been terrible! The humidity finally broke so I have the windows open. BUT there is a GIANT crane out side my window loading stuff onto the roof! Not to mention the workers yelling back and forth to each other. It is very loud and obnoxious! I’ll be glad to get out of this war zone for a few days.

I’ve been pretty busy gearing up for the mission trip and when I’m not doing that I’m spending some quality time with Brian since I won’t see him for a whole week! I will miss him the most, then my doggie then it’s a toss up between the Internet and green smoothies!

Last night we did our bi-annual terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, dinner. I ate pretty clean most of yesterday and today. It was delicious though and  totally worth it! After we ate we drove out to River Trail Cycles to check out hybrid bikes for Brian! He tried out about 4 of them. He said they definitely felt smoother and easier to ride then his current bike. They also fit him more comfortably. BUT he wasn’t ready to buy one quite yet. I think he was surprised at the price. I pointed out that if he takes care of it it will probably be the last bike he ever buys and the money is worth feeling comfortable. I really hope he gets one and maybe I can get one too. I would love to share a fun activity like biking with him. I didn’t try any bikes but I wish I would have. I’ve never been on a hybrid and he said the ones with shocks felt awesome.

Today I went for a very sweaty 3 mile run. Even though the humidity broke it was still pretty muggy this morning. I usually walk the dog before I run and kept thinking about how I really didn’t want to run in the heat. Then I reminded myself that it was only 3 miles. I actually felt pretty awesome while running and kept a pretty good pace. The tendon on the inside of my left shin has really been hurting me and I was worried about running but it felt fine.

Tonight we are meeting up with Brian’s friend from Colorado and his family. Should be a pretty good picture taking opportunity! Hopefully a more creative post will be in my future!

Hey there! Happy Monday Tuesday to you. That long weekend sure went by fast! Brian and I got home safe and sound from our 4th of July celebrations. Let me tell you it’s been a crazy few weeks what with grad school and all. This week is sort of normal. We have some friends coming in from Colorado that we are going to be spending some time with. On Sunday I leave for a whole week to take the high school youth from my church on a mission trip. I will be totally unplugged for a whole week. I’m not sure now I’ll be able to handle it. Just being unable to check Google Reader when I was busy with grad school for 4 days left me with about 50 posts to read. What’s going to happen when I don’t check it for a week? I don’t even want to think about it!

I bet you are wondering how my plan to get to a healthy weight is going. Well, the first week I was in grad school I did really well avoiding the snacks and such. I managed to eat sensibly at the meals that were provided. The second week, not so much, and then came the 4th of July. So, food has not been good. There has also been a lot more wine and beer in my diet these days. There have been days when I know my body was not eating good for me food and I felt it. I actually start to crave things like green smoothies and salads. I am trying to load on the good for me foods this week before I spend a week with teenagers who can eat anything and everything!

My exercise plan has been going well. When I don’t have to teach a class I run 4-5 miles. I’ve also managed to get in at least 2 strength training sessions in per week. I actually officially started half marathon training this weekend. I am using this plan from Marathon Training Academy. I actually did the hill workout for next week on Sunday since I was in a hilly place on Sunday and next week I’ll be in a very flat place (Iowa). I am going to try and run at least twice while I’m on the mission trip. It’s going to be hard though because we have to get up so early to get to our work site. The kids also like to stay up late and I know I’ll be exhausted. Maybe running will help me keep my energy up! I’m also going to try and squeeze in some mini strength training workouts mainly doing push ups and some core work.

So, that’s my plan for now. This summer is turning out to be busier than I anticipated. But, it’s a good busy!

Hey friends! I hope you are having a great holiday weekend! We headed down to my husband’s brother’s house to hang out with his family. Brian’s sister and her family also came from Detroit so we’ve been hanging with all our nieces and nephews.

There was a fun little family baseball game.

That’s Brian and my oldest nephew Alex. I even got out there and hit a ball, but mostly I took pictures and video!

A few glasses of wine

A fun fourth of July cookout!

Celebrating my niece’s 8th birthday! She’s a 4th of July baby! My sister-in-law made this cake. She owns here own bushiness Sweet Creations By Caren. Check it out!

Lots of cuddling given to this little guy! Zach is my youngest nephew he just turned 1 in June.

And just a few shenanigans!

   It’s been a blast! Hope you’re celebration has been just as fun!

Hit there! I’m writing this just after I posted my previous post. I’m going to try and delay this post until tomorrow but I’m not sure if it will work!

Remember awhile back when I shared my breakfast fail with Vegan Overnight Oats? I mentioned that I’d be tweaking them and I’ve been doing just that. The other day I made the most heavenly Overnight Oats! I have done away with the idea of trying to make these vegan. I used:

• 1/2 C Old fashioned Oats
• 1/2 C Plain fat free yogurt
• 1/2 C skim milk
• 1 tsp of cocoa powder (surprisingly low in calories!)
• 1 TBSP agave nectar
• 1 tsp of ground flax seed

Using yogurt really helped to thicken the mixture up and the cocoa was a good addition.

Then, because I had time I made strawberry banana soft serve! This was divine! And pretty too!

All I did was freeze a banana and some washed and chopped strawberries the night before. Then I threw them in the food processor. They took a little longer than I expected to turn into soft serve but it was well worth it! Layered with the oats and a little shredded coconut this was the perfect breakfast on a hot summer morning!

This was also more filling than the VOO. It does take a little time to make in the morning. This morning, because I had to get to class early, I made Overnight Oats in a Jar (mix it up in an almost empty peanut butter jar) and brought it to class. My classmates were very curious as to what I was eating, so I had to explain!

If you haven’t given over night oats or banana soft serve a try this summer I highly recommend both, together or separate! Have a great day!

Howdy! I’m back! It has been a whirlwind 4 days, not quite as intense as my first class though. I really love my grad program. If you ever have any questions about it please email me. I’d love to share my experience.

Awhile back I promised you some recipes. Here is the first one, I got it from the June issue of Real Simple and only made some very minor adjustments. I made it on a SUPER hot day when Brian was working outside all day. I knew a cool refreshing salad would be perfect for dinner. You can get the full recipe here. I started out by seasoning the chicken breasts with all the spices. Instead of pan frying them I put them on the George Foremen grill. That way I could set the timer and let them cook while I chopped the veggies.

Wow! Those were some big chicken breasts! I also like how they suggested making the couscous. You simply pour hot water over the couscous and cover while you work on the rest of the meal.

All my fresh veggies! I used these pretty golden tomatoes in addition to some grape tomatoes I had in my fridge. They are super sweet! I also loved using the fresh basil. The snap peas came from out garden!

I made the couscous in a big bowl so I could add the veggies as I chopped.

After I mixed the veggies, the chicken, and the couscous together it was time to make the dressing. I just love using fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. I’m not sure where I learned this trick but if you hold the lemon in your palm seeds up and squeeze then you get the juice but not the seeds! I only used 2 tsp of oil versus 2 TBSP. I thought I’d make it a little healthy but I’ll admit it was a little dry.

All mixed up! So colorful!

This was super refreshing and light! It tasted very fresh and healthy. I wasn’t sure if Brian would like it but he did! He especially liked the spicy chicken. It did take me a little longer than I excepted to chop everything up. I would definitely try making just the chicken as the recipe suggests.

More fun summer recipes to come! We are headed out to Brian’s brother’s house tomorrow VERY early. Brian’s sister, brother-in-law and our nephews are coming over from Detroit for the holiday weekend. I can’t wait to see them! I think I’ll bring the computer along and share the fun times with you!