Guess who finally has a card reader!

And can upload photos more regularly! Clue: she likes to drink wine in the evening after a great day of work. :)

Even though I did not get much sleep last night, I have to say I'm not looking too shabby!

Oh, and now that I have a card reader, I can upload photos right away of my healthy, fantastic, delicious meals.

Or, HyVee Chinese, as I had tonight:

Oh yes, Sesame Chicken and white rice, with a vegetable egg roll, slightly healthier, right??

The terribly delicious and once every six month indulgence gave me the energy to play with this gal:

She was running around so much it was hard to get some good photos of her.

Finishing up a load of laundry, my glass of wine, and going to bed early. Good night everyone!

Christmas Prep

Good Morning all! Today has been chock full of meetings and laughs already, mostly because I shared the following Christmas photos with a few members of the Mayor's office.

As you can see, Ghengis Cat was not thrilled to paticipate in the family photo. Athena, since she is not a cuddler, was mortified at being held for any length of time. Nonetheless, we had a great time and got some nice shots!

This weekend consisted of crappy weather, good veggies and great yoga. I finally got to spend some time with Jason as I feel I haven't seen him all week! Friday we ate at Dario's and watched a National Geographic documentary on "The Science of Evil." Yes, this is an old person's Friday night, for any of you under the age of 90. It was nice to unwind and get to sleep early! Saturday was FRIGID, and we had quite the storm that rolled through. However, I managed to make it to a Bikram yoga class at One Tree Yoga (onetreeyoga.com) that was steamy and felt amazing! It has been awhile since I have taken a Bikram class, so it was a nice change of pace from my normal Saturday running routine. Crappy weather days are great excuses for sleeping in, watching movies, and catching up on housework. It felt nice to be on top of everything!

A few other things we did this weekend:

*Saw "127 Hours." AMAZING, please go see it!
*50 minutes of power yoga on Sunday from Excercise TV (excercisetv.tv), and yogadownloads.com. I am super sore in my shoulders today so I know it worked!
*Naps.
*Ate LOTS of roasted veggies. Roasted brussel sprouts, garlic and sweet potatoes are my new favorite side dish!

Now I am finishing my cup of coffee and gearing up for a quick 5K run at 24 Hour Fitness before I head to finish the afternoon at The Neighborhood Center. I am going to try going to the gym Monday's and Thursday's during lunch to avoid the awful rush hour traffic in the evenings. More later!

Day OFF!

Hello all! I am so relieved to have today as my day off from work! It is not a day off from working out, but just work :) I slept in sooo late with my hubby when he came home from work and I don't feel guilty at all!
I also made some french press coffee and Double Shot Oatmeal from the blog "Healthy Tipping Point." Of course, as always,  I made my own modifications and it is delicious! Again, another iPhoto from a MacBook!

Notice I am in the same comfy sweater that I was wearing yesterday, only this time it is on backwards. I love sleeping in this thing! In the oatmeal was 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1 banana sliced, 1 heaping tablespoon of instant coffee. I also added a dash of caramel syrup and chopped pecans and peanuts. Throw the oats, milk and banana in a saucepan and heat until the liquid is gone and the banana starts to soften. Add the water and instant coffee, cook until it is all combined and the liquid is basically gone. Then scoop into a bowl and top with nuts and syrup. Though the recipe didn't call for it, I also added some chocolate chips to give it an instant sweetness on the tongue. :) Zumba at  3:30 today! I haven't been to a Zumba class in so long and am totally pumped!

Yesterday I ran a 10K at the gym! In under an hour! It was at a 9 minute mile pace the entire time except for a 10 minute half mile at the very beginning. I was only going to run a 5K but after 3 miles my legs felt really good and my body felt strong so I just went for it. After I was done though, I almost passed out since I hadn't eaten anything in a few hours. Note to self, always bring fuel! I was able to watch the last two quarters of the Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Big 12 game, which ended sadly but eh, who am I kidding, I don't really care all that much! :) I was able to enjoy a light dinner at Dario's with my friends Kate and Roberto. A cup of acorn squash and leek soup, a side of sauteed veggies and fresh, warm bread. Yum! I also had a Stella and a whiskey and hot apple cider at Brother's where we watched the game. However, I am old, or just tired. Or just whipped from chores and running over 6 miles, but I left the bar at 11:30 to come home and crawl into bed. I couldn't wait for sleep! :)

Peanut Butter and Prune Sandwich

Good evening! Today's post follows a delicious dinner that I found from "Carrot's N'Cake," but I made a few alterations to the original recipe. It originally called for walnuts and dried apricots, but instead I used dried prunes and chopped pecans and peanuts. It was gooey and yummy, totally filling. Since my camera doesn't have a cord for me to put pictures on my computer, you all will have to settle for a Macbook iPhoto :)

Notice the baggy sweatshirt. It's my Dad's and is super comfy! My version of this delicious recipe called for the following:

4 sliced prunes
2 tbsp. chopped peanuts/pecans
2 tbsp. raisins
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter

I then smeared it on two slices of whole wheat bread and put it in the oven on 300 for 15 minutes or so, or as long as it takes to brown. It was gooey, sticky and YUMMY. It will keep me full for the rest of the night, though I am craving some beets right about now.

Alas, I think I may not get a workout in this evening. It is nearly 9:30 and I still have three loads of laundry, a grocery trip to make and a kitchen full of dishes I have to wash IN THE BATHTUB because our sink and dishwasher is frozen. What a fun Friday night!

Blurg.

BLURG. That is how I feel today. Last night I was up wayyyy too late for a working gal. Jason made some delicious, flaky pastries filled with feta and spinach, topped with honey, olive oil and pepper. He popped those in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes or so, perhaps a little longer, I was not sure because I was snuggled in the living room under a Warm Fuzzy (a snuggly blanket) watching Andrew Zimmern on "Bizzare Foods." I also had some red wine...ahh...
We thought we were about to have a cooking emergency when no tomato sauce was to be found in the house. Alas, the grocery shopper has been behind in her stock up. Nevertheless, my ever resourceful husband made his own with canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, olive oil, sugar, sea salt and pepper. He also added red wine (from a DIFFERENT bottle) and red pepper flakes. It was so much yummier than store bought sauce. He spooned that on top of the pastry and it was heavenly. We watched "The Shining" during dinner, one of my all time favorite movies. We had also grabbed some ornaments to decorate our tree with, but our tummies ended up being the priority. This weekend perhaps!

Yes, we have a tree. A REAL tree, a blue spruce! Ghengis Cat was not sure what to think about the tall, bushy limbed stranger in the living room at first, but after numerous attacks, he has come to love his new companion. Athena was all about the tree from the moment it arrived in the house. It can stay for as long as no suprise squirrels make an appearance. Anyone see National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?? :)

Yesterday was a rest day, a much needed one from the week and my intense workouts. I intend to do a run today, a minimum of 3.1 miles but may strive for 5 if I have the energy. My half marathon registration is in the mail and I should be set by next week! I will be using Hal Higgdons's Half Marathon guide to help me in the next few months, and according to that guide I have until February to really train. But early training won't hurt! :)

Body Pump Again!

Good Afternoon everyone! Today has been fast! I have had a whirlwind of meetings all morning, and have just a short break this afternoon before a tutorial and a meeting at the Neighborhood Center. I am debating whether or not today will be my workout rest day. Last night's BodyPump class was everything I hoped it would be! I am so sore in upper body today! I love the whirlwind pace of the class, and the fact that we can choose our own weight to work with. I felt shaky and whipped afterwards, but it was absolutely worth it! I realized yesterday that I have been forgetting to talk about my breakfasts and lunches, but they have been pretty unremarkable with me trying to get back into a full time routine. Next week it will be easier to cook since I will have no commute and will be working in my neighborhood! Can't wait for no cold car in the mornings (except for Mondays, which are always a meeting day with the Mayor).

Breakfast today was a leftover brie and pear crepe from Dario's. Jason and I managed to have a date last night (even though I was dragging ass from being soooo tired from class and work), and he had the Dario burger with frites and I had my crepe, with sauteed veggies and spinach on the side. It was oh so delicious, even more so with an ice cold Stella. This morning's version of the crepe was just as good, just with no veggies. Lunch was an abundance of pasta from the United Way's annual volunteer meeting. I believe there was cheese ravioli (YUM!), veggie pasta loaded with mushrooms (YUM YUM), and those amazingly delicious cookies from the grocery store with a ton of frosting on top. It was really good! My new fast breakfast has been Special K with strawberries and sliced almonds. We have a large bag from Baker's here in Omaha that are a perfect compliment to any meal you can image. Tonight I am planning on going to the store to pick up some more items for next week, including more spinach and fruit to make smoothies for post-workout snacks. I was able to drag myself home last night, run a bath, and make myself some delicious oats with peanut butter, chocolate chips, sliced almonds and 1% milk. It was almost too rich, but it filled me up and there was nothing better to accompany me in my relaxation! Except for Paula Dean's cooking show. I love watching her show because she cooks with the best ingredients....butter and oil! :)

Mini Pizzas and Plyometric Kickboxing

Good morning everyone! I am sitting in my work space at the Mayor's office, trying to figure out where everyone is. I hope this wasn't a work from home day, or else I will feel ridiculous. I am hoping to be placed at my home site this week, which is right across the street from my house. It couldn't be any more convenient than if it were in my house itself. I have spent the last few days getting paperwork shuffled around and creating presentations and timelines. It makes me miss school oh so much. I have been having quite an adjustment period to working in an office again, particularly with my hunger. I am ALWAYS hungry at the office! Luckily, I make sure to bring healthy snacks like nuts and dried fruit to stave off the always overflowing goody bowls of candy on everyone's desk. I have also been walking around like crazy, as sitting in one spot is detrimental for my concentration. I have also been contemplating getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 some mornings to get my runs out of the way before work. Mornings are painful for me, but so is the gym at rush hour. I can't make myself miss my favorite classes, however, and they are always in the evening. Tonight, BodyPump! Last night was a fantastic Turbo Kickboxing class with Ellen that was a little easier than last week. It was a lot of plyometric moves that kept me out of breath and challenging myself the entire hour. But it was one of the more fun turbo's I have ever done!

Quick side note, I stopped by my favorite thrift store (Scout on 51st and Underwood) and bought an oh so cute pair of ankle high wedge boots. $7 with my $15 dollar gift card!! I love finding good deals! And there is something lovely about not having my calves stifiled in knee high boots all day. I feel less cloistered in my business casual wear.

After kickboxing, I came home and made mini pizzas for Jason and I. They were perfection, and we ate them too fast for me to get a photo. I pre-heated the oven to 350, and sprayed a baking pan with vegetable non-stick spray. I took two whole wheat tortillas and put a little olive oil on the top, and when the oven was ready, put them in to get crispy. In a skillet, I sauteed spinach, smoked sun dried tomatoes, garlic, onion, slicked almonds, and corn in vegetable oil. After they were a little soft, I spread them on top of the torillas with parmesean and cheddar cheese, and some bread crumbs. I let them bake for about 10 minutes. They were oh so good, we inhaled them in no time, and I was comfortably satisfied and full for the rest of the night! After our dinner we headed to Dario's for some half price beers. We met some friends there and ended up staying out a little later than I was planning (which, for me now, is 11, since I'm a grandma). But it was well worth it! I had two and a half yummy Belgian beers, a Lambic Framboise, which is a raspberry draft that tastes like champagne:

And a Chambly Noire, which is a dark wheat beer that is light, easy to drink and nutty and carmely:

I also helped Jason finish his Stella, which is probably the most well known and popular Belgian beer, kind of the equivalent of Bud Light in Europe. So yummy!

So, even though I got roughly 7 hours of sleep, I am still dragging today. I can't pound this caramel coffee fast enough! :) More to come later today!