Monthly Archives: May 2011

Hey there friends! How’s it going? Not much to write home about today or yesterday. I pretty much did what I normally do on Monday’s which is clean the house and get ready for my fitness classes. I did manage to get in a very sweaty 5 mile run trying out my new running shoes. It was super hot even in the morning but it felt good to get my sweat on and the shoes were great!

Today I worked at the church and things were pretty quiet around there. But tonight’s dinner? Now that was something special.

I made Chicken Masala using the Masala simmer sauce I bought on my impromptu trip to Trader Joe’s this weekend. I had never even eaten Chicken Masala let alone made it. Using the sauce it was pretty easy. We also enjoyed some Naan with our meal, another food I had never tried….so good! Even Brian enjoyed it!

Not much planned for the rest of the evening which is nice for a change! Hope your short week has started on a good note!

Hey there! How was your Sunday? Mine has been pretty adventure some so far! Even though I usually don’t work on Monday’s today just didn’t seem like Sunday, it seemed like Saturday. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have work today, which is usually the case since I work at a church!

This morning I had quite the dilemma on for breakfast. Which coffee should I choose?

They both sound delicious don’t they?

Coulee Coffee Roastery is a local business that actually helped me out with one of our fundraisers at church. I’ve been addicted to their coffee ever since. These were two flavors I don’t see offered very often so when I saw them at the Co-Op yesterday I just had to pick them up. I went with the Jamaican Me Crazy and it was sooooooo good! About two years ago I quit drinking coffee completely, not really sure why but lately I’ve been drinking it more and more. I need to work on saving it for the weekends or special occasions! I sipped my coffee alongside another green smoothie!

Then I headed off to church. After church I puttered around the house for awhile finishing up some laundry and prepping some food for the week. Then it was time for a solo road trip! For longest time I’ve been meaning to go to a running specialty store to have the “experts” look at my feet/shoes to make sure I was wearing the right ones. It was definitely time to buy new shoes so I headed to the nearest running specialty store The Running Room in Rochester Minnesota.

The service was EXCELLENT. The person helping me had me walk around the store barefoot to see what my feet did. She told me I didn’t pronate or supinate  so I could go with a neutral shoe. Then she asked me a few questions about how I like my shoes to feel and  selected a few styles to try on. Since I started running 11 years ago I have stuck with Asics. Usually what I do is go into the big shoe store here in my town, bring in my old shoes and ask the clerk if they have them or a similar model try them on and buy them. So far that has worked pretty well and the clerks at our store don’t really question you. Well today I decided to break tradition and say good-bye to the Asics. Instead I chose the Brooks G3.

She had me try on Asics as well as a few other pairs but the Brooks just felt the most comfortable. A bonus, they were less expensive than the Asics AND a woman in front of me had a coupon for 20% off at the Running Room that she couldn’t use so she gave it to me! Score! It must have been my lucky day! I also felt pretty lucky because as I was exiting the highway to go to The Running Room I saw a sign for a very fun and unique store that we don’t have in my town.

Queue choir of angels…

I was pretty excited! I perused the store looking at almost everything. I knew I couldn’t buy produce or anything in the cooler sections as I had to drive an hour back home. I did manage to pick up some fun and unique foods to try.

Naan bread (located on the far left), Maple Leaf Cookies, Bite Size Everything Crackers, Three Layer Hummus, Masala Simmer Sauce, and S’mashing S’mores which I may or may not have broken into these bad boys before even leaving the parking lot.

I can’t wait to make Chicken Masala this week for dinner! I tried not to get too many snacky things since we don’t like to have that stuff in the house but everything looked so good! I think I’ll take the hummus and crackers over to a get together at my brother’s tomorrow night.

I really enjoyed my solo road trip. I truly am an introvert and loved listening to NPR and cruising on the highway. Total nerd I know!

Well, I’m hoping to not be such a hermit and actually do something social with some friends tonight! Hope you’re having a good long weekend weather your flying solo or hanging with your friends!

Hey! Hey! Hey there! How are you this fine evening? I have had a delightful and busy day! It started out VERY early when Brian’s friend Joe came over at 6:30am so we could all go for a 7 mile run! We had a great run! Brian’s method for long runs has been to run 10 minutes and then walk 2. It works out really well giving you enough stamina to easily get through those miles. Joe is running a 10K with us over the 4th of July it was good to run together as a group.

After a quick shower we headed out to breakfast with Joe and his daughters. We tried a new to me restaurant called The Flipside. It’s attached to a traditional family restaurant called Ardies. The owner decided to build on to Ardies and create a more hip pub and grill to attract the younger crowd. We had heard good things about The Flipside and Brian had lunch and a Bloody Mary there once. There’s nothing I love more than a delicious Bloody Mary and The Flipside did not disappoint!

It was perfectly refreshing with just enough spice and some very fun garnishes; 3 different kinds of cheeses, a pickle, an olive, a pickled mushroom AND a beef stick! The company was delightful too!

I ordered the California Omelet which had a TON of vegetables including zucchini and summer squash. I also got the American Fries and for only $0.99 extra homemade grilled bread which was AMAZING!

So much food! Even though I was super hungry after our long run I still couldn’t finish all this! I don’t think any of us were able to finish our food. I also really liked the atmosphere of The Flipside. It was definitely like a pub but had fun décor, with lots of pictures of famous landmarks from our town. We will definitely be back for breakfast and more!

After a short nap Brian and I headed out to the country to Vernon Vineyards for a little wine tasting. The first time we visited Vernon Vineyards was with the Gardner’s last summer. I had been craving a wine tasting experience and we thought this would be the perfect weekend to head back to Vernon Vineyards. We started off with their free tasting of five of their wines plus one dessert wine.

All of the wines we tried were so good! We decided to buy a bottle of St. Pepin and sit outside on the deck enjoying it with some cheese, crackers, and apples we brought from home.

The weather was perfect, warm enough to be comfortable but with a nice breeze to keep it cool. I had fun taking pictures of some of their wine inspired décor and of the vineyards.

It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon!

After all that wining and dining we weren’t very hungry for dinner. Eventually I headed over to the Food Co-Op to stalk up on our weekly produce and to buy ingredients for a light salad for dinner. I actually saw this recipe posted by a few of my friends on Facebook so I can’t give credit where credit is due since I don’t know where it is from but I just have to share it because it  is a perfect salad for summer.

Toasted Quinoa, Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Salad

• 1 cup cucumbers diced
• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup red pepper, diced
• ½ cup corn kernels
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• ½ avocado, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Lemon Vinaigrette dressing:

• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup lemon juice (use real lemon!)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic, chopped
• 1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Cook the 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water-bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for twelve minutes

Mix together quinoa, chicken, cucumbers, red pepper, corn, green onions, cilantro, and salt and pepper.

For the lemon vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together well. Add salt and pepper if needed. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir.

Fold in the avocado and serve chilled.

We actually didn’t eat it chilled. We tried to wait while it chilled in the fridge but it was already getting pretty late by the time we ate it (hence the dark pictures) but this was the perfect way to end an indulgent day.

Served with some sliced fruit and sparkling lemon water!

Not sure what is on tap for tomorrow. I have a few lose plans so we’ll see how it all shakes out! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Hey there! Happy Friday to you! Hope you can enjoy the holiday weekend. I know I am certainly looking forward to it. Memorial Day weekend traditionally signifies the start of summer although this morning it was VERY cool out! Despite the chilly temperatures I started the day off right with a green smoothie.

And a cup of coffee to help warm me up!

It was just a regular old work day for me but after work I decided to take a little detour before heading home. I have been doing A LOT of commuting via bicycle. I try not to drive unless I absolutely have to. I even cycled to work, the Y for yoga, back to work, and back some on Wednesday in the POURING RAIN! Brian took my car to work before we realized how awful the weather was going to be. Not to worry though, a few years ago when we went to Alaska I bought some good rain gear and it kept me nice an dry! Still wasn’t too fun to ride in the rain though. Today there were clouds but no rain.

And what better place to go on the first weekend of summer than the Farmer’s Market?

This is a small and quaint Farmer’s Market that takes place in a park across from the Co-Op. I only made it there once last year!

Not sure how often I’ll go this summer as we will get most of our vegetables from a CSA and out own garden. I did pick up some spinach, lettuce, and green onions.

I used some of the lettuce and spinach to make a light salad with strawberries and balsamic vinegar to eat with dinner. It was delicious!

Well, we are planning on a low key night because tomorrow we are getting up for an early long run! Then more adventures for the holiday weekend!

Hope your weekend is off to a good start!

Ummmmmm……..hi there?! Remember me? The Girl With the Pink Sneakers?? Yes, I am still alive and still wearing my pink sneakers! So sorry for the long absence! I know I mentioned in my last post that I had a big work event to get ready for but that was over and done with four days ago! So, where have I been? What have I been up to? Not much really. Truth be told I have had an life issue come up, totally not related to the blog, and it has been consuming my thoughts day and night. So, instead of thinking of creative things to write about on my blog I’ve been obsessing over this issue. Well, I’m done focusing my energy in that direction for now! It would be silly for me to try and catch you up on life and honestly there hasn’t been anything too exciting going on. So here are just some bits an pieces.

On Saturday I went for a very sweaty run!

It was rainy and gloomy all morning which was okay with me since I had to be at work. About 2pm the skies cleared so I laced up my sneakers and headed out. It was much more humid than I had anticipated but it felt good to sweat.

On Sunday night Brian made me something very special and unique for dinner. He had been out turkey hunting all day. He didn’t get a turkey but he did find these.

Those are wild moral mushrooms! He sautéed them with some onions and wild turkey (a friend shot one and gave him the meat). After warning me that some people get deathly ill from wild mushrooms (I had never eaten one before) I chowed down on this delectable feast.

Looks kind of scary I know but it was SOOOOOOO good! I have never tasted anything like those mushrooms! And I didn’t get sick!

Today I had some special guests participate in my fitness classes at the Y. First of all my mom came to my GST class. She has only been to a few GST classes and it was her first time coming to MY class. She did great! At my second class of the day, Cycling, I was excited to see Katie, Grant, and Brandon from Two Guys, A Girl and Our New Lifestyle. If you are looking for some inspiration check out their blog and the journey to a healthy lifestyle. It is truly amazing! They were super fun to have in class too very energizing!

Other than that the most exciting thing in my life has been finding the most AMAZING high heeled shoes! Now, I HATE wearing heals and rarely ever do. When I do have an opportunity to dress up I want to look cute and stylish but within minutes my feet our aching! I’ve been searching high and low for some cute sandals for my brother’s wedding. I did some searching on Zappos and found a couple that I thought looked cute and all the reviews said were comfortable. I was still skeptical because my feet are just so sensitive but here’s what came in the mail this week.

They are both SUPER cute and would you believe it? They are also comfortable! I’ve been wearing them around the house and honestly think they feel great. I don’t know what the difference is, probably the $80 price tag when your use to spending $20 or less at PayLess. Now my only problem is deciding which ones to keep! The silver ones could come in black and vice versa. The silver ones are also a little more trendy then I am use to and the black ones are more practical.I kind of want to keep both but don’t know if I can really justify it! Maybe I’ll just wait until the dress comes so I can make a better decision. Which do you think would go best with the dress?

I know, exciting stuff right? Don’t worry I’ll be back more frequently and hopefully with more interesting things to write about. I am looking forward to Memorial Day Weekend. I have not work obligations. I plan to spend some time with friends who will be in from out of town and Brian and I were just discussing plans for a 7 miles run!

Hope life is grand where you are! Have a good night!

Hey there! How was Tuesday? Good I hope! This morning something happened to me that NEVER happens! I overslept! I actually got to bed at a decent hour last night and slept really well. I did hear Brian’s alarm go off but luckily fell back asleep. However, in my dreamlike state I kept wondering why my alarm hadn’t gone off yet, I knew I only had about an hour after Brian got up before my alarm went off and it just seemed longer. Finally I turned over to check out the clock and I had overslept by 40minutes! I had set my alarm for 6pm! Fortunately I didn’t have to teach a class this morning AND I washed my hair last night. So, I made a smoothie to go and grabbed a travel mug full of tea and head over to Viterbo for an early morning (7:30am) Servant Leadership presentation.

As I mentioned, on Sunday I got caught up in some house projects. I wanted to do my regular weekly cleaning on Sunday and wash our windows. Last year we had new windows put in our house, the kind that you can pull inside to wash the outside. I thought I could do all 16 in an afternoon but there was a little more to washing windows than I thought (I only did about half). It also involved moving furniture, which also means cleaning floors that haven’t seen the light of day in awhile. In our kitchen we have one corner with windows on either side. In the mornings it lets in a lot of sunlight and is really pretty. I moved the microwave stand out of the way to wash the windows and said to Brian, “A little table in here sure would look nice.” Truth be told I’ve been watching a little too much House Hunters and have been getting house envy longing to have an “eat in” kitchen. Brian suggested that I move the breakfast table that we have used as a toaster stand for the last five years. What a great idea! Of course it involved finding new places for a few other things but I really liked how it turned out!

So basically I just switched where I had this table and the microwave stand and moved the recycle bins to another location. Wish I would have taken a “before” picture but I honestly didn’t even know I was going to do this but you get the idea.

Since taking this picture I’ve moved the toaster on top of the microwave so I have more counter space. I actually have yet to eat breakfast on it as I have a bad habit of watching TV in the morning and today I rushed out of the house too soon. But it does make the perfect place to take pictures of my morning oatmeal, which I did yesterday!

We all know that that is what really matters right? I do really love my little house. Sure there are some BIG things that I would love to change but neither Brian and I want to take the time to work on it nor do we really have the money. A little change like this really makes things seem fresh and new.

I have a very BIG event I’m working on at church for this weekend so I’m not sure how much I’ll post the rest of the week.  Not to mention the weather is AMAZING! Who wants to be inside staring at the laptop!

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Good early morning! I can’t believe I am awake this early! Brian has been going into work an hour early for almost two months now which means his alarm goes off at about 5am. If I don’t have to teach a class or have an early workout planed I don’t have to get up until almost 7am. In the past I’ve been able to fall back asleep pretty easily after he gets up or not even been awakened when he gets ups but lately not so much! It’s really wearing on me since I tend to stay up later than him thinking I can sleep in. I guess I’m going to have to start going to bed earlier. I figured I could be productive with my early wake up call and get a post up!

If you’re catching up here’s Part 1 of my weekend road trip. After a little more visiting we headed over to Union South which just opened on April 15th. I could not believe how much thought and planning went into this building. They really used some state of the art techniques to make the building as green and energy efficient as possible. They also used a lot of local materials and artists to give the building it’s beautiful design.

Here’s our personal tour guide explaining how the stained glass behind him was designed and created by a student and inspired by the iconic seating at The Terrace at Memorial Union.

Union South also features several unique dining areas each with their own cuisine and theme. Very different from your traditional campus cafeteria.

The Sett is the place to be on campus featuring three floors of entertainment such as indoor rock climbing, bowling, food, live music and more.

Much like Memorial Hall Union South also has a large hall, only it’s bigger, MUCH bigger!

I was so impressed with this building. Around every corner was another surprise. It was very beautiful and modern yet at the same time warm and inviting. I was even more impressed with all the work Patrick did as President of the Union while still managing to go to classes and earn a degree! I’m so proud to know him!

So, did I convince you that you should attend the University of Wisconsin? I’ve almost convinced myself! It was such a fun day and I’m so thankful to my in-laws who offered to drive me down and back for the day.

Got a few things on tap for today including my annual physical (oh joy!), teaching a group strength class at the Technical College, practicing some Zumba dances, and grocery shopping!

Have a great Monday!

Whew! What a weekend! Sorry for disappearing for awhile there. I taught two classes at the YMCA EARLY yesterday and then only had about an hour to get ready before hitting the road for a little road trip. Today I have been totally caught up in some house projects.

First of all thank you all so much for the sweet comments here on the blog, on Facebook, and even in person about my weight loss struggle. I really appreciate all the support, compliments, and motivation!

Do yesterday I went on a little adventure with my in-laws. We headed down to Madison for Brian’s cousin, Patrick’s graduation from the University of Wisconsin. Can you believe that I have lived in Wisconsin for 31 years and have NEVER been to THE University??? Brian’s brother and sister both attended the UW so he had visited a bunch of times. Sadly, Brian could not come with because he had to work. Patrick’s parent’s hosted a nice party yesterday and the actual ceremony was today. During his last year at the UW Patrick served in a VERY important role as President of the Student Union.  See everything on that page? Yeah, he was pretty much in charge of ALL of it! He gave us a personalized tour of Memorial Union

The famous Terrace and Lake Mendota. Sadly it was REALLY cold and windy yesterday so we didn’t really get to enjoy it.

The Memorial Union is a very historic building and had some really cool architecture and beautiful murals.

One of my favorite rooms was the Paul Bunyan room which was part of Der Rathskeller. Check out  the cool murals!

Another room that really impressed me was the Great Hall.

Such a cool building and we didn’t even see the half of it! Our final stop on the tour was Patrick’s office. Check out the amazing view!

Of course I spent some time visiting with Brian’s family.

Which also included playing with cute babies!

We also got to tour the brand spanking new South Union, but I’ll save that tour for tomorrow. All I have to say is if I would have visited UW as a high school senior and gotten these tours I might have gone to a different school! Just kidding but I did think it was an amazing place and made me so proud to be from Wisconsin!

Have a good night!

Hey there friends! How are you doing today! I am great! It’s another beautiful 80 degree day here in Wisconsin. I haven’t driven my car or blow dried my hair in three days! After a loooooong winter you gotta love the summer weather.

Now, I don’t normally weigh myself every day but I just KNEW (and hoped!) that my weight gain over the past three weeks had to be caused by something other than me being a LITTLE lax with my journaling and taking a few days off from running, so I hoped on the scale this morning hoping for the best. Sure enough I was down 3+ pounds. Whew! My body must have been holding onto some water for some reason, so strange! I am also wearing a pair of shorts that I seem to recall were a little tight and uncomfortable at the end of last summer but today are feeling loose and comfy! I guess it shows you that you shouldn’t put to much weight (pun intended) on what the scale says.

So I promised I’d write a little bit about my thoughts after our alcohol detox. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good glass of wine with dinner.

And an icy cold beer on a hot summer day sure is refreshing!

But after not drinking for 3 months my outlook on consuming alcohol has changed a little bit. Please don’t get the idea that I was a heavy drinker before the detox. I kind of  viewed alcohol as a beverage of choice for someone who is 21. I really just like the taste of beer and wine (not much into liquor or mixed drinks). I don’t drink to get drunk although I will admit that the relaxing effects of alcohol sometimes take the edge off a harried day. During the detox there were times when I REALLY craved a good glass of wine, especially with a good meal. There were even a few times when I had come home from a bad day thinking how much I would enjoy a glass of wine. After the ban had been lifted we might have gone little overboard celebrating our new found freedom to drink. Two weeks after the detox though I was thinking about how it really wasn’t a big deal. I actually had an event (at a bar) that I WASN’T looking forward to drinking at. Now I am choosing to see alcohol as more of a “treat” almost like a dessert, something to imbibe in during special occasions. I certainly don’t need or even want to have a glass of wine with dinner every night. Knowing that I CAN though, makes all the difference. I think this detox was positive proof that when you tell yourself you CAN’T have something you only crave it more. Truly a lesson in moderation.

Physically I could tell how not drinking alcohol effected me. It certainly was easier to lose weight and stay on track with healthy eating. I felt like I had more energy when I detoxed and I thought my skin looked better without alcohol in my life. All good reasons to limit alcohol in my diet. Not to mention the empty calories in alcohol (5 Weight Watcher Points Plus for a regular beer or glass of wine!!).

Now, please note that I am not trying to tell people what to do or that if you drink you are bad. I just thought I would share my experience with this little experiment and how I felt before during in after.

Well, I think I’ll enjoy this beautiful day! Hope you can too!

Hello there! How are you this fine Wednesday afternoon? I hope wherever you are life is treating you well!

So, much for relaxing on my day off. My little closet clean out took a lot longer than I expected. At one point our bedroom looked like this.

Izzy was such a big help….

NOT! I never did get around to reading that book. But I did get all my summer clothes out and washed up and just in time too. The last two days our temperatures have been over 80 degrees! It seems Wisconsin has forgotten about spring and moved right on over to summer.

I did get a run in Tuesday morning. It was my first run in a week and I only went 3 miles. The good news is my hip did not hurt during the run. There is still a little pain in general but nothing like I was feeling last week. I’m glad that it hasn’t interfered with teaching my fitness classes.

What I really wanted to write about today is something I’ve been struggling with lately and that is, once again, my weight. You can read all about my crazy long weight loss journey here. About three weeks ago I weighed in at my lowest weight to date. I also received a very nice compliment from someone at the Y who noticed my weight loss. I could have sworn I blogged about it here but I guess not! Any way in the last three weeks I have steadily gained weight and realized today that I’ve gained 6lbs in 3 weeks! Now, part of me thinks maybe why weigh in was just messed up because of eating to much salt, water retention, the humidity, or some other outside force. Yet, I know that I have not been as diligent these past three weeks in my food journaling and I did have to take a break from exercising. But 6lbs?! Really?! I am CERTAIN that adding alcohol back into my life is  having an effect on weight loss efforts. I was listening to a Jillian Michaels Podcast and she said that alcohol is the number one worst thing you can consume that negatively effects your metabolism! Yikes! Not really sure what to do about this as I would like to consume alcohol in moderation and do not think it is practical to eliminate it from my life FOREVER. I have a whole other post planned to discuss my thoughts on drinking now that our detox is over.

I am a little worried that quitting going to Weight Watcher’s meeting was a bad idea but honestly I just can’t fit it into my schedule this summer and the meetings were doing nothing for me.

There are so many reasons I want to lose this weight

• Look good in my bridesmaid dress
• Feel comfortable running in a sports bra and shorts during out beastly hot summers
• Be a good role model for the participants in my fitness classes
• Be a source of strength and support for Brian
• BE HEALTHY

I truly feel my best when I am eating right. I know I just have to stick with it. I have all the tools I need. I just need to CONSISTENTLY use them. I am recommitting to journaling. Still going to keep up with my regular exercise as I am already doing about 6 hours a week.  I think this blog will help keep me accountable. I don’t want it to turn into a post about EVERYTHING I ate in day but I will try and update you more on this recommitment and my progress!

Just wanted to put that out there so all my friends and family know that I struggle too, oh yes, and why I’m passing on dessert too (maybe)!

Have a great night!