September is smoothie month

I'm going to have a smoothie challenge for this month, one smoothie to try every day. Anyone want to join me?  I was getting bored of the same smoothies day after day - bananas, strawberries or blueberries, spinach and milk. Blahhh. So I've been doing some research to find some more exciting ones.  What is your favorite smoothie recipe? Please share.  I always add spinach because you can't even taste it.

Today's smoothie was:

Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie
I added spinach and it was green
Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cups oats
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tbsp cashews

Yesterday's smoothie was Gingerbread. 
This one was more like a meal. I drank this around 11am and didn't eat lunch did 4pm yesterday. It was filling.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp chia seeds

Next up: Healthy Cake Batter Smoothie

I mean, just from the names, who wouldn't want one of these??

My training this week was weird because our gym was closed for the annual week of maintenance.  On Monday, I ran on the treadmill. Tuesday I used my dad's espresso bike. I went so slow on that thing. It was a hard workout. Wednesday morning we got to swim in the outdoor pool for masters. It was FREEZING! but I love swimming outside, it was great! I took the kids for a stroller run and warmed up quickly once I got home. Thursday was my long run (on the treadmill) and Friday outside swimming again. Yesterday I did a good but short swim set outside and today was my long bike ride.

One week until race day! This week's stats for the bike were low without the spin class! I think spinning adds on the miles but isn't accurate for me. I can spin 21 miles/hour but outside my average speed is probably 12-14. I'm looking forward to seeing what my bike speed is in the race since I've really been training more on my bike!

Run 23.9 miles
Bike 28 miles
Swim 5.9 miles

pre-school activities, fall muffins & Crab cakes

And now after a little diversion of repeating myself for the 100th time which happens once a month despite vitamins, I bring you some fall muffins, pre-school activities and crab cakes. I ultimately decided to send Nick to pre-school for 2 days a week/3 hours a day this fall coming up. I'm excited for it, although it was a really hard decision for me and I will probably throw up the entire week before I have to drop him off, and also cry the day I drop him off. I think he will do GREAT though!!  Here are there I find some fantastic ideas and try to do them with Nick. Here are 2 I think are worth sharing.

I call this one MONEY MAKER:
You can find it on this activity tray post - tons of great ideas. You trace all a bunch of coins on a piece of paper and color in the ones that are the same (quarters, dimes, etc). Then you give your pre-schooler a bowl of all the coins or just pile them up and have him/her match the coins to the right circle. It was fun and I was also teaching him all the names of the coins. I love doing stuff like this!

The second one that I found is matching up lowercase and uppercase letters.  This is fun because you can make it seasonal if you want. I used orange and if I have time I'll draw pumpkins around them. The blog writer used hearts for Valentines which was cute. Nick wasn't totally ready for this and I think putting all 26 letters out at once was probably overwhelming. I think I'll start with the easier ones - o, c, s, u, etc -and just 5-7 at a time.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS! Fall is just around the corner, my favorite time of the year, I can't wait!  With fall brings everything pumpkin. I took Baby's First Muffins and turned them into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins adapted from Simply Pure Vegan + Baby
1/2c  oatmeal
2/3 cup oatmeal flour or quinoa flour
2-3 T whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1T ground flax or chia + 3T water
2T coconut oil
2 T maple syrup 
1/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup/ 1 handful chocolate chip muffins (no need to measure here!)

Mix the pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, flax and water in a small bowl and microwave 20 seconds. Let sit. Meanwhile mix dry ingredients except chocolate chips.  After the wet ingredients gel up (about 5 minutes) add wet to dry. Stir to mix, add in chocolate chips.  I used mini muffin tins - bake at 350 for about 10-12 min or till set.

Crab-free cakes??  Check out Atlanta Running Mom's Post with this recipe which is where I saw it. I followed her recipe except I don't do mayo and I skipped the sauce because I got lazy didn't have some of the ingredients.

I bought Veganaise to make this recipe and I couldn't open it. I was afraid so I brought it back. Mayo really grosses me out! Has anyone tried the veganaise??

TEMPEH CRAB CAKES
• 8 oz tempeh
1 C water
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp crushed Bay Leaf
• 3 T sour cream
• 1 T spicy brown mustard
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 T red wine vinegar ( I used white)
• 1 large mild jalapeno- finely chopped - I didn't have this
• 1/4 C finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped celery - didn't have
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp fresh ginger
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• fresh black pepper
• 2/3 C whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 C olive oil (for pan frying)

Break up the tempeh into a small pot. Add the water, soy sauce, oil and crushed bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let boil for 10-12 mins, stirring once, until most of the water evaporates.

Place steamed tempeh into a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, mask until about 50% smooth. Let cool for about 15 mins, until tempeh is lukewarm. Mix dry spices in a separate, small bowl to evenly combine. Add the s. cream, mustard, chili sauce, vinegar, bell pepper, lemon, and ginger and stir together. Add the spices and mix well. If you are making ahead, cover and place in refrigerator.

Before frying, add half of the panko to the tempeh mixture. Stir until just combined.

Preheat a thin layer of oil in a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet over medium heat (I tried just using non-stick cooking spray at first...you really need a little oil!)

Pour a remaining 1/3 C of panko onto a plate. Scoop a heaping 2 T of the tempeh batter into your hands and form into a ball. Gently flatten balls between your palms and then dip them into the panko to lightly coat – just a bit for some crunch.

Fry cakes for 4 mins on one side, flipping when dark golden brown. Fry for ~2 mins on the other side and transfer to a crumpled paper towel to drain (crumpling the towel better allows the oil to drain).

Makes 8 cakes (~3-4 servings). Serve cakes in a warm pita pocket with fresh arugula and remoulade sauce.

Remoulade:

• 4 T Light Mayo
• 1 T whole grain mustard
• 1 T chili garlic sauce
• 4 tsp capers
• pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine. Can be made ahead.

Balance, negativity and complaining

A while ago I read a post on Hangry Pants about complaining and what's the point of complaining when you can't change things? I feel like I complain all the time and I'm starting to see myself as a negative person. It's affecting my life. I have good weeks and bad weeks with the kids and in the bad weeks, all I can think is that a) I'm a horrible mom and b) I need a part time job. I can't just do this (staying at home) anymore. I feel like there are 50% weeks of feeling this way and 50% weeks of feeling like everything is going well and I'm happy and a good mom. I don't think 50% good is a good number.


Here's what has been going on:

**Our house has been on the market since April. Every time there is a showing I put alot of effort and work into it. It's stressful and I end up yelling at the kids and my heart rate is through the roof. I really want a heart rate monitor. One weekend we had 5 showings then a couple of people come back, and nothing came of it. I've really just had it completely and want a house with a yard and to be done with this process.

**Nick is at a fun age (2 1/2). Sometimes I feel like Kara (at 13 months) is a total pain and makes things that are fun less fun by her whining and crying, flinging her head back, etc. She's so high maintenance in my view and wants what she wants. I feel bad thinking sometimes that it would be nice to leave her at home and do fun things with Nick, but sometimes I do feel that way.  I feel like I have to leave the house every day or I'm going to go completely insane.

**Nick doesn't share with Kara and is sneaky - pushing her down, shoving her and head butting her like an ox. She fights back by hitting him and trying to bite him. I'm nervous what she is going to be like around other kids!

**Bill leaves the house around 7 and gets home close to 7. Many days by the end of the day, I've absolutely had it. I want to run out of the house. On the days that I get to tutor, I cannot wait. I feel like I am being paid to get out of the house and bedtime. It is the best thing ever. I need more of that.  When Bill gets home and sees that I'm in a horrible mood or have had it, he doesn't want to hear about it.  I feel like I complain too much and he doesn't love his job and doesn't want to hear it. That makes things even worse for me and I just get angry, feel like a horrible mom and person and don't know what my life is.  I feel like I'm a bad communicator and instead of just sucking it up and moving on from the day, welcoming Bill home and appreciating some help, I'm just in a bad mood so he feels like I'm taking out a hard day on him.  Usually I'm just frustrated and like I said, want to run out of the house, but I guess I need to be a better communicator and figure out a better way or better balance.

**During the harder weeks I really want a part time job. I say this all the time and never follow through with it because really there isn't anything around for teaching part-time. Most districts are laying off, not hiring. I don't know what my future holds in the job front, but I feel like I keep telling myself it's important to be home with my kids now, I'll regret it later, and that I can teach in the future when they are in school. I don't know what the best thing for me is.

**Right now I feel like there's just a lot going on and I want to be settled with a house and neighbors that I can hang out with and have playgroup with. We live in a community where I'd rather just stay inside (lots of older people, divorcees, etc) and have no yard. I'm trying to be positive about everything and feel like I'm just a huge complainer and not a positive person.


Here are some questions for you:

How do you keep yourself positive?
What are your best techniques for effective communication?
Do you thrive on structure or going with the flow?

How things have changed; make your own breadcrumb mix

Well, I hit 99.3 miles for the month of August and the former me would be on the treadmill pounding out the 0.7 miles to get to 100 miles, but the current me just does not care. When I'm done, I'm done. I used to be very OCD about all my runs, especially long runs, making it to the exact next mile, or 1/2 mile and now if it's 10.33 miles, I don't think twice about stopping.  Where do you fall?

The spinach cookies ball recipe that my mother in law makes and we all love calls for stuffing mix and if you look at the ingredients on most, it's a long list of them. And many of them have chicken stock in them. I found this recipe and made my own and made my best batch of spinach balls yet.  I call them spinach cookies because it is not a healthy recipe except for the spinach - butter, parmesan cheese, frozen spinach, stuffing mix and egg.  The best thing about making your own stuffing/breadcrumbs is that you can pick the bread - Ezekial works too!

Here is the recipe from About.com- I scaled it down about 1/4.

• 30 slices firm bread
• 3 Tbsp. instant minced onion
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. seasoned pepper
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 3 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
• 3/4 tsp. ground sage

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut bread slices into 1/2" cubes and place in two 13x9" baking pans. Toast bread cubes at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toasted, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and cool slightly. In large bowl, mix together onion, garlic salt, seasoned pepper, oil, parsley flakes, and sage. Lightly toss bread cubes with seasonings to coat cubes. Place in a large airtight container and label "Herbed Stuffing Mix". Store in the refrigerator and use within 2 months. You can freeze the mix up to 6 months. Use in any recipe calling for stuffing mix. Makes about 12 cups.

fruit leather success, mileage and week 7?

The second batch of fruit leather turned out really well! Instead of 3 or 4 hours at 225, I did about 4 hours at 175 and kept checking it. I also left the oven door open for most of the dehydrating process. It was pretty cool! It doesn't look much like the kind they sell, but it tastes really good. I'd try it again.

 The recipe was from here and mine NEVER looks like the picture. Ever.

Peach Fruit Leather
4 Ripe Peaches (skin on)
1/2 - 1 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1. Preheat oven to 200 F degrees.
2. Rinse and remove seeds from peaches.
3. Place the peaches and agave in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon or spatula in a large rectangle (my rectangle was 11 x 15 inches) making sure that the thickness is completely even.
5. Bake for 3-4 hours or until dry and not sticky to the touch. Remember, cooking times will vary depending on how thick you spread your mixture and how much water (juice) is naturally in the fruit.**
6. Set aside and cool at room temperature; it takes several hours for the fruit to soften up. Note that when you first take the fruit leather out of the oven, the edges will be a bit dry and crispy, but if you allow it to sit out for several hours it softens up nicely.
7. Cut with a knife, pizza cutter or scissors into strips, keeping the paper on if desired, then roll the leather into “roll ups”.
8. Serve.

Last week was my 7th week of training and I had 23.2 miles running, 56.3 biking and 5.5 miles swimming.  I have been recording everything on Runner's World even though I had switched to Daily Mile because that is where all of my history is! And I like the summaries. I just took a look at my running miles this summer and they are so low compared to the past.

June 72.6 miles
July 98 miles
August so far 94 miles (I think I need to run 6 miles to get to 100).

I was consistently doing around 140 miles a month before triathlon training and burn out. I don't miss it all that much!  What's your monthly mileage?


Happy Birthday to my sister today! Kara is wearing little flip flops in your honor Kimp! How cute are those little feet!

Review of Tommie Copper Calf Compression Sleeve

I had the opportunity to try out a complimentary pair of calf compression sleeves from Tommie Copper to review.  The sleeves are copper infused and were designed to be comfortable enough to wear all day. When I started reading about them, I realized that these products are not just for athletes, but for anyone with joint problems or inflammation. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Since I started riding, I've found that my calves were cramping a bit and sometimes sore during the ride. When the company contacted me, I thought I would try out the sleeves and compare them to the compression socks that I have.  I have been wearing them during and after long runs and long rides and have found that they really do help with how my calves feel while I'm training.  Similar to the compression socks, I feel like they keep my circulation going and hold everything together in my legs!  They are comfortable, very easy to get on & off and super lightweight. Compared to compression socks, they feel just as tight, helping with circulation but they are much easier to get on and off and not as heavy. I wouldn't use the compression socks in the summer - they are super hot when you have them on and feel like they are made of wool, but these are breathable and I've worn them comfortably on hot days.

From the website:
The sleeves:
* reduce muscle inflammation in the calf
* relieve calf and shin pain
* stimulate circulation
* are comfortable enough to wear all day
* are machine washable

Why copper? 
From the website:

Copper is necessary for the growth, development, and maintenance of bone, connective tissue, brain, heart, and many other body organs. It is involved in the formation of red blood cells, the absorption and utilization of iron, and the synthesis and release of life-sustaining proteins and enzymes. These enzymes in turn produce cellular energy and regulate nerve transmission, blood clotting, and oxygen transport.
Copper stimulates the immune system to fight infections, repair injured tissues, and promote healing. Copper also helps to neutralize "free-radicals" which can cause severe damage to cells.
Symptoms of copper deficiency include osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.


The sleeves seem like they are very durable and would last a long time. I fell on the bike a couple of weeks ago and they saved my calves and shins from getting cut. Thank you sleeves! I like them and would recommend them. They are reasonable at $24.50.  Check them out on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Botched experiments

Last night I tried fruit leather for the first time, and followed this recipe.  I cooked it a bit too long - 3 hours at 225 degrees and it was cracking :( It smelled so good and tasted good too! We're in for another round on this rainy day. All that I did was pureed around 5 peaches and spread them on a cookie sheet with cooking spray. (First I had it on plastic wrap but thought that seemed weird so opted for cooking spray).

 After about 3 hours-

 A bit overcooked.

 Broken into pieces. Edible but wrong consistency.

I'll update you on round 2.

Then there were dough balls - I just wanted to try chocolate chip, not PB chocolate chip. These were really good COOKIES but not dough balls.

And this here was my 10 minute pizza dough!  This one worked out!

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1 T rosemary
1-2 T butter, melted/olive oil
1 T chia seeds
1/4 to 3/4 c almond milk ( I was just dumping it in the food processor until it all stuck together)

Put all dry ingredients in the food processor then add in the butter/olive oil and almond milk until the dough isn't too dry. Roll it out and cook on a greased cookie sheet. Add your toppings and cook at 400 for about 10-15 minutes till browned!

It was really tasty!!

Commenting, Nutrition and Training Plans

First off, if the comment form is embedded right below the blog post, I can't comment on it! I don't know how to fix this? Has anyone had this problem and fixed it??


Nutrition:
I found this information helpful from CLIF bar and wanted to share it.

This is from an interview with Adam Korzun, sports dietician for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association:

“I’ve been hearing conflicting information about sodium. Am I taking in too much? Not enough?”

Outside the athletic world, sodium gets a bad rap, but athletes and coaches know electrolytes are necessary for peak performance. The CLIF BAR panel suggests athletes determine their electrolyte needs and create a personalized plan before race day by experimenting with electrolyte replacement during training.

“Sodium not only helps with fluid intake, but also with carbohydrate uptake,” said Adam Korzun, sports dietitian for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “I generally recommend at least 100 milligrams of sodium per 8 ounces of fluid—more if you are a high salt sweater or training in extreme environments.”

Should you eat energy food (bars, gels, chews) right before an event start?
The greater the time between your last meal and the event, the more you may want to throw back a couple of chews, gels or a piece of a bar. For instance, if you have breakfast 2 hours before your event, a couple of chews will be the perfect, quickly-absorbed fuel to start the event.

 And from endurance coach, Joe Friel: 

“What should I be eating after a hard training day or event?”

Consuming a recovery meal or snack within 30 minutes of finishing a strenuous activity is imperative, according to the panelists.  “The goal is to replenish muscle glycogen and branch chain amino acid stores,” said Joe Friel, endurance coach, author and co-founder of TrainingBible.com. “Doing so in this 10-30 minute window after activity will promote a quick and full recovery and give you the ability to perform at a high level in the next workout or event.”  Muscle glycogen is the fuel that powers endurance activity, and branch chain amino acids aid in muscle repair. Eating for recovery is just as important as your pre-race and race day nutrition plan.

What are your post workout meals, or recovery plans?

In addition, any first timers out there? Here is a site for free first time training plans.

Food as bribery

With Nick at the age that he is (2 1/2) I find myself carrying snacks in my bag everywhere we go, and using it to get him out of places. Today we went to the hardware store like everyone else - and bought a flashlight. Well, I made the mistake of going upstairs where there is a toy store and let Nick play for about 10 minutes at the train table. Then it was time to go and he threw himself on the floor and started screaming. Luckily, only the older woman working was upstairs but EVERYone downstairs - and it was very crowded with this storm coming our way - could hear the little boy making a scene.  I was pulling him out of the store. Fast forward to the afternoon and we were in Babies R Us and he was playing with yet another train table.  What made him leave there without a fight? Some Annie's bunnies in a cup.  I feel like all I have to do is show him a Z bar or the bunnies and he drops what he is doing and follows me.Yikes, do you think that is bad?  What are your favorite snacks for kids on the go?

Ours right now are:

Clif Z bars
Clif Twisted Fruit
Annie's Chocolate or Honey Bunnies
Annie's Cheese Bunnies
Kettle Valley Fruit Leather

I think this is the overall favorite right now:

September is around the corner!

The weather this week (up until today) has been awesome! We have been able to have our windows open and the mornings have just been beautiful! On Tuesday I did a bike ride outside and yesterday I did part of my long run outside. It was the first time in a while that I ran outside (without the stroller) for more than a couple of miles. I was doing pretty well for the first 3 miles and keeping my pace in line and then after some hills I kind of faded and couldn't keep my pace under 9 minute miles. I'm supposed to aim for 8:35-8:55 for the beginning of the run then 8:15-8:35 for 20 minutes in the middle and back to the 8:35-8:55.  I only had time to do an hour outside, and then came home, the kids were still asleep, Bill left for work and I finish the last 35 minutes. That has been my long runs so far - only 10 or 11 miles. I'm really NOT looking forward to running any longer than that, so I'm a little nervous of how the rest of marathon training and marathon are even going to go. Luckily my sister is kind of on the same page so maybe we'll just be able to chat for 4 hours and enjoy the course?

The triathlon training is going well. My training got scaled back a couple of weeks ago once I told the coaches that I was feeling pretty tired.  It went from 3 bike rides to 2, 4 runs to 3 and stayed with 3-4 swims. I feel like I should be getting out on the bike twice a week and spin class once since that is my weakness and I might try to do another bike ride this week weather permitting, or hit spin class. I am getting stronger and feel like I'm fine in the pool.  I think my running is suffering even with the cross training so we will see!

Yesterday when I was doing my long run, I was thinking how you could have a free pregnancy test attempting to do a race or keep a set pace on a pretty flat course. That's how I found out I was pregnant with Kara back in November '09 when I was doing a race and felt like I was putting in tons of effort but my pace was super slow! Have you ever tried that?

On Tuesday the kids and I went peach picking. It was so fun, I would do it everyday if the weather was as beautiful!  Now I'm looking for some good peach recipes. I found this one for peach fruit leather and might have to try it!

don't think about touching my peaches!

teamwork

having a blast

peaches!

Best of both worlds

I slept in this morning, after going to bed around 9, until 6:30. I was just going to take an off day because I'm so tired lately (house, kids, training) and the bike ride yesterday just killed me. The kids didn't even get up till 7:30 - go figure. While Nick was napping, Kara was awake so I put her in the stroller and did laps around our complex for a while. So I got to sleep in and work out during "nap time." My pace was so slow, I don't even know how people run normal pace or fast with the joggers. I am so slow with it.  I feel like I could have gone for hours and hours to clear my head. She fell asleep for 30 minutes so that was good.   I used the double jogger because it has the swivel wheel. I want to sell my ironman and get a single revolution on craigs list! That thing annoys me that it won't make turns easily.

Nick is getting into fighting bed time. What kills me is that he has been a great routine/ bedtime kid on his own all this time (he just turned 2 1/2). We would do bath, read books and say goodnight and he'd go to sleep on his own.  I don't know what happened but he wants us to lay with him and rub his back.   Now the storms last week didn't help too much but it shouldn't be just that. It's 9pm and he's still awake and this has been going on for probably 3-4 nights now. I can't help but blame my mom because I feel like she always lays with him and goes to sleep with him and leaves the light on when he asks. And I know that's cruel because it's sweet for grandma to do that, but it totally screws us up and takes away any spouse time that we have. Is this a phase? Did it happen to you?

This isn't your time

Well first here's my training of the last 2 weeks:

Recovery week: Run 13.1 miles (LOW!), bike 46.5 miles, swim 5.1 miles
Week 5: run 22.4 miles, bike 55.4 miles, swim 5.7 miles

This week I am focusing on running. I plan to do the long run with the group - I haven't ran outside for a long run in a LONG time and feel like it's crucial.

This morning I did a longer than anticipated bike ride. And there was alot of guilt associated with it. Usually we leave at 6:30 and we're back by 9. Today it was just my swimming friend Rose and I and we were going to meet at 7. As I was getting in the car, she called and had woke up late so we met a little bit later but I still planned to get back to our meeting spot by 9. She's the leader - I have no idea where we are going, and I realized it was getting close to 9 and we were no where near home. I started to get nervous and a little annoyed too! I wanted to get back for Sunday family time and my friend Nicole was coming to visit on her way back to DC.  So we started 20 minutes late, then rode 35 minutes longer than I wanted to! I wasn't too happy a camper but in the end, it was my longest bike ride ever! It was 33.1 miles - 2 hours and 15 minutes. Still pretty slow but getting faster! I was kind of upset that I missed most of the morning - I feel like Sunday morning is family morning. Yesterday I just needed to sleep in and we had a handful of house showings so it just happened to work out that way that we rode today. I think my new plan is get a moderate ride in during the week (just stinks because it will be alone), get back into the long runs on Saturday and pancake Sunday on Sundays!

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This past week my mother in law was here helping out. One thing she said is stuck with me. I don't even know how the conversation started or what the point of it was, now looking back, but she was telling me about a woman at her yoga class who was all about herself when her kids were young and how she (my mil) didn't make any time for herself but that she wouldn't change a thing. Personally, I think that I need the time to myself and to have my own goals, but she made me rethink and wonder if I'm being selfish in making the time to train hard for things and questioning my going back to work.
I don't think that she was trying to make me feel that way but I'm not really sure what the whole conversation was about!  What do you think? Should this be a time where I'm just working out to stay fit but not going crazy training for things and taking up weekend time and time in the mornings for myself?  Sometimes I feel bad that I'm always out of bed at 5am and when Nick wakes up I'm not there. And there's no cuddle time with Bill in the morning because by the time I get back, he is about to leave for work. Should I be concentrating on the kids (more) and the little time Bill and I have together instead of doing my own thing 6 days a week? I think it starts the day off fresh for me, but sometimes I do feel guilty and like maybe I need to tone it down a bit. 

Last, I'm debating on the pre-school thing for Nick in a few weeks. He's 2.5. Either I want to start him now or next fall at 3.5. I think it's a good thing but feel like I'm not ready!! I don't know what to do.

Friday pizza & Long run cheating

Yesterday we had a playdate with Nick's longest friend, Olivia, who was born just 2 1/2 weeks after Nick. Lauren and I were due within 3 days of each other, then I was 2 weeks early and Olivia was 8 days late.  Ever since Lauren stopped working we get together often and it's really fun!  Both of us have 2 kids now and are trying to sell our houses.  Our husbands went to graduate school together and then worked together for a few years - that's how we met. We also happened to go to the same college and be the same class year, but never knew each other. I like having a family friend where both the husbands and the wives get along and the kids are about the same age. It will be fun going forward hanging out. I do miss the guys working together though!


Anyway, yesterday Nick and Olivia made their own pizzas.  I adapted the pizza dough recipe from Peas and Thank You: the cookbook.

Ingredients (1 crust)

• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1/2 a packet of yeast (I used pizza dough yeast)
• 1 t rosemary or your favorite spice
• 1/2 t sucanat
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 t. salt
• 3/4  c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c white flour

Instructions

• Mix water, yeast, and sucanat - let it sit for 10 minutes till foamy
• Put flour and salt in food processor and pulse to combine. Change to a kneading dough blade.
• Add in the liquid mixture while the food processor is still moving and allow it to gather up all of the flour and make a big ball.
• Take out the ball and knead on a floured surface until smooth (a couple of minutes). 
• Place the ball into an oiled bowl covered with a damp towel. I put this in the oven which I preheated to 350 and then turned off. Let rise for one hour. 
• Roll out the dough with more flour and place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Load with favorite toppings and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes or until browned.

I saw that piece of pizza had that for kids and thought it was cute so we did it for lunch yesterday. Nick immediately started eating the cheese whereas Olivia was very neatly putting on the tomato sauce. We had mushrooms, chicken nuggets and eggplant for toppings. Nick loaded his with chicken nuggets but then wasn't into it when it came out of the oven.  Olivia had a nice blend of mushrooms and chicken nuggets.  Here are some pictures:

enjoying their pizza - Kara was in on the action

And the long run. Since I've been doing long bike rides on the weekend, my long runs have been during the week on the treadmill. I feel like the treadmill for a long run just isn't the real thing. I am telling myself I'm getting out with the group for a long run next weekend.  Biking just seems so much more appealing!! I think my running is suffering though and my goal to run a 1:45 1/2 marathon this fall might not be happening. I haven't been training at the pace that I need to for that but maybe all the cross training will help. I have a few weeks so I'll try to get my pace back to where I need it to be.

And last I've been freaking out about the race (olympic tri) in DC on Sept 11 - just since it's the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. This is what I've been training for. As a mom, things like this scare me. I wouldn't have thought about it before.  Hmmm.. what do you think?

Recipes to share and new flavors from CLIF

Here are some recipes that you should check out! 
 Tempeh Tamale Pie by Mama Pea

5 minute cheeze sauce on mac and cheese by OSG

Peanut butter Dough Balls by Mama Pea

Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs from Peas and Thank You got a good consistency and taste rating from Bill and he said they could even pass as the real thing with the sauce and provolone cheese in a sub roll. Niceeee.

8 ounces lentils, precooked
1/3 cup oatmeal
1 tsp minced garlic
1 T vegan Worchestershire sauce
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 c fresh basil
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
I omitted olives and sundried tomatoes

Put all that in the food processor, shape into 12 golf balls and bake for 20 minutes at 375 on a sprayed cookie sheet - believe me, they stick! Flip once throughout the cooking.  I should have taken a picture of the meatball sub but I didn't. Here's a picture with the meatballs as pizza topping. More on the pizza coming up :)

And let's talk about the CLIF new flavors. 

CLIF BAR: Coconut Chocolate Chip
new recipes for Apricot and Peanut Toffee Buzz

CLIF CRUNCH: Blueberry Crisp and Chocolate Peanut Butter

CLIF MOJO: Chocolate Almond Coconut, White Chocolate Macadamia, Dipped S'mores (Oh baby!)
 CLIF MOJO, a delicious trail mix bar made with 70 percent organic ingredients, has introduced three new flavors that deliver a mouthwatering array of chocolate, nuts and coconut for a crispy, crunchy texture in bars that taste both sweet and salty.

 from Clif:

CLIF MOJO Chocolate Almond Coconut blends toasted coconut, chunks of indulgent chocolate and deliciously salty whole roasted almonds. CLIF MOJO White Chocolate Macadamia combines freshly roasted macadamia nuts with richly flavored soy white chocolate chips. Not to be outdone, CLIF MOJO Dipped S’Mores is a healthy take on a classic campfire favorite, featuring crunchy graham cookies, creamy soy white chocolate and organic chocolate chunks. The new CLIF MOJO flavors (SRP: $1.39) are also on shelves now.

The Mojo are my favorite right now. Chocolate Dipped S'mores?? Ahhhh. Melt in my mouth. The Chocolate Almond Coconut has big chocolate chunks in it, with the taste of toasted almonds and coconut. It's grande!

As for the Clif Bars, the coconut chocolate chip is a great combo. I love the attention coconut is getting these days. The Apricot is tasty though not one of my favorites and the Peanut Toffee Buzz contains 50mg caffeine and is delicious so a great pre-workout boost for you. Loving it!

Clif Crunch: I love that they created a fruit flavor - the blueberry is great with vanilla yogurt. And chocolate + peanut butter - is there anyone who doesn't love that combo??

Check them all out at your local store. Love that I can eat a different type of Clif product for basically every part of my day :)

Here are Nick and Kara checking out the care package and thrilled to see the twisted fruit. Love!

the new mojo flavors

enjoying some twisted fruit

"when I'm done with this one, I'm going to take yours Kara"

Catching up

I hope that I still have readers out there. I haven't been on google reader in a while and haven't even had a chance to post. Hopefully I will be back!

Last week we were at the shore and we returned on Sunday. We had a great time with the exception of the sleeping situation. It wasn't horrendous but could have been much better. It was the first time that we had to sleep with a kid in our room. The first 2 nights, Kara was in our room and was up in the middle of the night for hours both nights. She was laughing hysterically the second night and trying to crawl away.  It was pretty funny but not at 2 in the morning. Then we moved her to her own room and Nick into our room. Nick didn't wake up in the middle of the night, he just woke up at 6am instead of 7am. My parents and sister were also down. My sister felt like she got ousted from the house so she didn't really hang out with us at all. And I felt like I had to shhhh! everyone when the kids were napping. It really wasn't that fun during the times we were inside the house, and I learned that next time we'll rent our own place. I'm too schedule oriented with naptimes and need my own space.  Overall, the beach was fun, the kids had fun. I did take them back to the house to nap, so I felt like I was on the beach from 11-1 and then 5-7. It wasn't a lot of beach time, but I preferred nap time to having to deal with 2 cranky kids. Do you have your kids nap while away on a "vacation?"

Here were some of my favorite pictures:

profile

beach boy

Kara started walking 1.5 weeks ago and now she's a pro

she's a dancing queen

and in the past month has developed a "LOOK"

This week I had to work 2 half days, and my mother in law was down to help out. It was great having her help, and I was able to get a taste of the working mom world. Well, I don't know how you all do it.  I feel like I have had zero time to myself.  And this was two half days of work. I was teaching an online course and the final was this week.  I do not know how full time working moms find time to work out either.  I gained an appreciation for being at home, but at the same time enjoyed it while I was working.

We're currently in the 4th month of trying to sell our house and I'm going to lose my mind soon. I can't do it anymore. Nothing is perfect and I'm OCD at many things and feel like there's just not enough time in the day to get it all right. I'm starting to want to move so badly that the showings just stress me out big time.

Last week was a recovery week and what happened due to the lack of sleep down the beach was shortened or missed workouts. I skipped my long run last week so I only ran twice.  This week I'm getting back into it but it's the bad week in my cycle so I'm unmotivated and tired.  The coach working with me says with the triathlon and marathon within weeks of each other, he thinks I am trying to do too many things and have too much on my plate. I agree but I guess I don't really even care about the marathon too much, I just want to get the runs in and have a good time.

I have some good recipes to share and new CLIF flavors, have you seen them? As well as a review on some calf compression sleeves.

SEMI Wordless Wednesday

have you tried it yet????

like: that leg muscle dislike: beer gut. WTH!

Vitamix disaster

Good morning Kara!

My body is a temple

When local standout swimmer Fran Crippen passed away in the open water swim last fall, I remember reading in one of the articles that he turned down chocolate, telling his sister that "my body is a temple" - I don't put chocolate in it. I think about that sometimes when I consider what I am eating. The yoga class I just started going to - the instructor was talking today about getting the impurities out that we might have eaten today - white bread, white sugar, etc etc. Very interesting.  


What do you put in your body?

With the training pretty hard core right now, I kind of want some guidance as to what calories I should be eating, what amount of protein, etc. I feel like I have a blubber stomach despite the training and I'd really like a 6-pack!  I'm not really fitting in any core work - except now the yoga, does that count?  Do you think I can get one if I do that?  I'd love to figure out some daily menus that support the training and would help my body recover quickly and help with being tired. 

This week is a recovery week which kind of means I'm doing what I feel like! I told the coach that I'm working with that I'm tired and he basically took out double workouts except for maybe 2 days. I'm going to the beach this week anyway for the 2nd part of the week and plan to kind of slack off a bit :)
I'll get back into it next week but think a recovery week is in order for week 4! Do you take recovery weeks or recovery days?  Do you feel refreshed after? What do you do during a "recovery week?"

Clif & Co Company News!

Looking for a job? 

Clif Bar and Company has been recognized for the 4th year running as one of Outside Magazine’s “Best Places to Work.” Outside Magazine is America ’s leading active lifestyle magazine, with over two million readers a month.

 

The award is focused on the company's aspiration to support the community, and highlights the In Good Company program which partners Clif employees with 11 community-minded companies to make a difference in their communities through hands-on action and the 2 Mile Challenge, which encourages people from across the country to log miles travelled during short bike trips to compete for a $35,000 donation to a favorite charity.

 

Additionally, check out these other fun programs that are included in the company:

 

“Cool Commute” Program:

-         The nation’s first-ever biodiesel incentive program provides employees with a $6,500 taxable cash incentive towards the purchase of a vehicle that runs on B100 for at least six months of the year

-         Incentives towards the purchase of a natural gas-fueled or high mileage hybrid

-         $500 incentive towards the purchase of a commuter bike or to make commuter modifications to an existing bike

-         Additional incentives for walking, carpooling or taking public transportation

 

“Cool Home” Program

-         Up to $1000 annually for eco-home improvements such as replacing primary appliances with Energy Star appliances, installing solar panels or switching to energy-efficient windows

 

Project 2080

-         Nearly ten years ago, Clif employees set out to donate 2080 man hours per year to charitable work—the equivalent of one full-time employee’s hours. In 2010, the company donated over 5,200 hours. Clif people choose the charities that resonate with their own interests- like the Breast Cancer Fund, Mom and Pop Green and Meals on Wheels

They are hiring, check it out!

Falling off the bike

Is there a graceful way to do it?

My first fall was the first time I used my bike shoes. I could not get them off of the pedals and just toppled over in my driveway at the end of my ride. This left me with a jammed pointer finger but I walked away unscathed. 

Today my Sunday ride group decided it was too wet out to meet up to bike, but I wanted to get in some mileage and didn't see myself riding well inside, so I went outside locally. It was a great ride except for my fall and seat moving due to my fall. It was wet on the ground and I had to make a stop quickly and ended up falling over - the tires skidded and were too wet. This fall left me with a bruised and sore knee, bruised arm, elbow and palm :( And my seat moved so that it was pointing the wrong way and not too comfortable. I made it through the ride because I ride around and look at houses, ha! Keeps me entertained. So is there a way to help break your fall when you are on the bike? I've ended up just giving in to the fall and down I go!


Here were my week 4 stats -I took it easier towards the end of the week pacing wise and needed a day off!

WEEK 4
Swim 4.7 miles, Bike 61.9 miles, Run 28 miles

Monday run 3 miles, swim 3200 yds
Tuesday easy 3 mile run, bike 13 miles outside
Wednesday long run 9.1 miles
Thursday spin 16 miles, run 3.35 miles
Friday - super long workout day swim 4000 yds, bike 5 miles (inside), run 6.5 miles, swim 1000 yds (FUN!!) Swimming felt very strong. I had the morning to myself and that was how I spent it! :)

Saturday OFF!
Sunday Run 1 mile, bike 27.88 miles and run 2 miles

I missed a day in the pool this week due to timing conflicts for childcare and deciding to take Saturday off.  I love swimming and it has been feeling really good lately. There was definitely one day where I felt like a brick with arms and legs, I think it was on Monday!

Tired! week 3 of training

This was last week, week 3 of training

Monday: Swim 3350 yds, Run split up 5.76 miles (1/2 in the morning and 1/2 afternoon)
Tuesday: Long run 10 miles
Wednesday: 3900 yds
Thursday: Run @ 7 miles tempo, bike @15 miles with interval training
Friday: Bike 24 miles, run 2.75 miles
Saturday: swim 3500 yards
Sunday: Bike 32 miles, run 3 miles

SWIM 6.1 miles  BIKE 72.8 miles RUN 28.3 miles 

I made the mistake of not taking an off day. It's hard logistically to fit in all the swims and biking so doubling up on another day sometimes isn't realistic. I chose to swim last Saturday morning and should have slept in and taken off. My body is tired this week. I think I stayed up late a couple of nights over the weekend and early in the week and it set me on this schedule of getting up after 5 instead of 4:30ish, and I haven't been able to fit everything in this week. I'm TIRED!  ANd I think most especially, my legs are really tired. Add the workouts to getting the house ready for showings and being on my feet most of the day in that case and my body wants to be in a horizontal position. 

So this week I'm kind of failing on the workouts but taking it as an easier week.  I've been really enjoying the training so I don't want to get burnt out - probably a good idea to lessen the load a bit. I talked to the coach about it and he took out a run. I was only running 4-5 times a week as it was so I'm a little nervous I won't be marathon ready, but I'm more excited about the triathlon.  And I wish I could afford the pocono half ironman but it's not in the cards right now :(

Do you take a day OFF?  Where does it fall in your week? How is your week of workouts structured (easy/long/hard)?

On the bike

Last weekend I did my longest bike ride to date - 32 miles :)  I can't really even tell that I'm doing extra miles except my crotch is ready to stop, but I find it really enjoyable!

I was using Abby's bike that she doesn't use anymore and one of my swimming friends just upgraded her bike and wanted me to check out hers - we're the same height and just about the same build.  It has the pedals where you need the shoes to ride it, whereas I was using the cages with my running shoes.  My last straw was when my shoe laces got all caught up in the chain.   There is a noticeable difference on the 2nd bike - better fit, smoother ride - and with the shoes.  I feel stronger.

When we started this endeavour - I had a helmet and an old triathlon top and shorts from my sister (whew, lifesaver on that!). Now, I have bike shoes, bikes shorts, and a brand new bike rack on our car.  I know how to change gears,(recall that I had no clue how to do that in my first triathlon!) and I even know how to use the aero bars! I feel like I'm making strides!  I had done about 5 outside rides total (of about 8-10 miles) leading up to my first Olympic triathlon and now I'm outside 2-3 times a week riding 60-70 miles a week.  My next race is the Nation's Triathlon, compliments of my sis on Sept 11. I'm a little freaked out lately that it is on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and in DC. Should I be?? Yikes.
 I'd love to do a half ironman - there's one Oct 2 (4 weeks out from marathon), but decided I don't need to spend $300 to see that I can do that and do it well!  Maybe when I'm back to work?  I can't afford that right now! 

I am really good on the bike in groups and trying to keep up but seem to slack off and don't work hard enough when I ride alone. One thing is for sure - I've definitely improved and have more of a smooth ride!  I really like the bike now! How things have changed :)