The Little Things
March 10, 2013

I think I’ve realized that I don’t really feel like I’m training because I’m not really doing anything that’s THAT much different than if I wasn’t training. I’m running once a week, and mostly doing other forms of activity. I miss being able to run a lot. However, I have definitely found other activities I really enjoy, and I’m truly enjoying exercise right now. I also looked back on the exercise I did this week last year while training for the same race, and I still think I’m doing much better than I did.

I walked a lot this week because we had a few days of snow and it was beautiful (but not too cold either). I wanted to enjoy it before winter was officially over! I feel like this week was very balanced, and I like that fact.

Also- happy “spring forward” day! The lost hour of sleep is definitely a bummer, but it’s light until after 8 pm now, so I’m really thrilled about that! It’s definitely worth the lost hour of sleep in my mind.

Now it’s your turn to share! What was one accomplishment you had this past week? Do you like the spring forward? 

March 9, 2013

Today, I ran, and I loved each and every minute of it. I don’t think I’ve had a run that has been this pain free (at least at this distance) since late September or early October. I enjoyed it for what it was, and just kept running. In fact, I finally had to stop myself at 6.25 miles because I thought it would be safe to prevent myself from going farther, but I certainly wanted to! And, the best yet, the first three miles of my run were slower then my last 3.25; a great negative split run! I’m pretty happy. I noticed a few twinges in my right knee, but never felt the need to stretch it out or anything like that!

While running, I tend to think about the food I’m going to eat post-run, and this run was no exception. I started thinking about what things I had in the refrigerator, and I instantly knew what I needed to do:

Pear Greek Yogurt French Toast

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I mixed the egg, vanilla flavoring, and cinnamon together in a bowl and then cooked the french toast. After it was done cooking, I emptied a container of pear Chobani on top of the french toast, and lightly sprinkled a bit more cinnamon on top of that. Of course you could put any flavor of greek yogurt on top, but the light taste of the pear was perfect!

Viola! Simple, easy, but absolutely delicious! It really was a perfect post-run meal! The extra protein didn’t hurt either!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one of your favorite post-exercise meals? 

March 7, 2013

After being pelted from 5 pm-5 am with a snow storm that gave us 7 or 8 inches of snow, I was not so thrilled to be driving to work on Wednesday. It was really really dangerous on the roads, and it took me 40 instead of 20 minutes to get to work. I was pretty annoyed that the drive was so scary. I’m not thankful for that drive at all, but there are some things surrounding that that I am thankful for right now:

I’m thankful that I didn’t get in a car accident. On top of the snow, we had ice, and there were cars in the ditch left and right. I have all wheel drive, so at least I didn’t go way off, but I did slide off the road a bit. I’m so thankful that the drive, while long in stressful, ended in me getting safely and unscathed to my work parking lot.

I’m thankful for a long lunch out with co-workers. Our boss had a meeting that was scheduled into part of our staff meeting, so we had a long lunch. The roads had cleared up a bit, so a few co-workers and I headed to Cracker Barrel for lunch! On a stressful day, there’s nothing like comfort food eaten in front of a roaring fire! It was exactly what I needed!

I’m thankful that it’s March. Honestly, the winter wasn’t too bad overall this year. I worked hard at enjoying each day as it was, and that helped contribute to winter not being too bad. That being said, though, I’m glad it’s march because it means the start of spring, and hopefully very few days left where it’s in the 20s!

I’m thankful for cupcakes. Just looking at them brings a smile to my face! They’re so cute on top of being absolutely delicious! I’m also thankful I decided that baking them was something I wanted to do. I’ve made these cupcakes three times since Christmas!

I’m thankful for meal prep on Sundays. I stumbled on this idea two years ago, and it’s seriously been one of the greatest things in my recent life. I spend an hour or two on Sunday afternoons prepping my food for the week, and then my lunches and dinners are either completely or mostly made for the week. When I get home from working out, all I have to do is reheat and eat! It’s amazing!! Yay for convenience and easy, healthy food!

I’m thankful for the “thanks” I get from my clients. Counselors don’t get into the field of counseling for the “thanks” from people. I don’t expect it (I do expect frustration and anger to be directed at me from them though!), but I feel so thankful when my clients express the gratitude. It means more than they will ever know.

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for this Thursday? 

March 6, 2013

One of the things I’ve loved the most since working on eating a healthy balanced diet is trying all sorts of new vegetables (like parsnip). While I’ve had artichoke dip and artichoke hearts in various dishes, I’ve never cooked a whole artichoke before (well, until the end of January). Artichoke always reminds me of the movie Julie and Julia, and I’ve wanted to try it since I first saw that movie back in 2009.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to cook the artichoke.

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Artichokes are so pretty, aren’t they?

I took the artichoke and cut off the stem so that it didn’t take up extra space in the pan.  I rinsed off the artichoke and then put it in a pot full of water so it was mostly covered. I covered the pan and brought to a boil. Once the water was boiling, I reduced heat so it was simmering and let it cook for about 30-35 minutes. Once it was done cooking, I started with the outer petals, and pulled them off one by one and let cool.

To eat, take the part of the petal furthest from the stem and hold that end. THe opposite end will have a small chunk of “meat”. Scrape your tooth along the petal and scrape the artichoke “meat” off and enjoy. Yum!

There are many options for sauces to dip the artichoke into if you would like. Melted butter is a popular one, although I haven’t tried it yet.

photoArtichoke petals and sauce!

The sauce that I’ve made on the multiple days I’ve eaten artichoke since January is a mixture of mayonnaise, lemon juice, and cajun spice. It sounds a little gross, but the flavors compliment one another nicely!

So, the next time you’re looking for a fun vegetable to try, think about the artichoke!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you tried any new foods lately? Have you ever eaten artichoke in a form that isn’t a dip? 

March 5, 2013

Some days I just don’t want to take the time to make breakfast. Sometimes my lunch doesn’t fill me up as much as I hoped it would, and I need a bigger snack than usual before an evening workout. When those times hit, I prefer to grab something like a granola bar. When Core Foods contacted me to do a review through the Sweat Pink Ambassador Program, I was eager to try their product! From the CORE Foods website:

CORE Meals are FRESH portable food. They’re as convenient as packaged products, but they’re not candy, they’re food. Each pack is 4 hours of stable, balanced energy. Grab instead of breakfast when you’re in a rush, or after a workout for a solid recovery.

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? A package arrived on my doorstep with three defender meals and an ice pack in it. I immediately opened the package and put the meals into the freezer.

photoDelicious sounding flavors!

I was impressed by the ingredient list.

photoAll ingredients I can pronounce:)

The first bar I tried was on a Sunday morning. I pulled the almond raisin bar out of the freezer and let it thaw for about 10 minutes before digging into it! I was instantly surprised at the lack of sweetness (in comparison to other granola or protein bars). While it bothered me a bit for the first third of the bar, I quickly got used to it and enjoyed the flavor immensely. I was having “linner” (what do you call it when you eat between lunch and dinner?) at 4 pm, and ate the bar about 10 am. I had a few carrots with hummus in between (after a workout), but I was surprised at how incredibly filling this bar was! Definitely not your typical granola bar. It really did feel like I had eaten a whole meal! You’ll definitely want to make sure you have lots of liquid on hand as you eat the bar, as the instructions state.

For the person on the go, this would be a great meal option for those crazy or unplanned days. Click on this link and “like” CORE Foods on Facebook and you’ll be given a coupon code for $5 off any online order and you can enter to win a free case!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever tried CORE Foods before? We have brunch, but what do you call a meal you eat between lunch and dinner time? 

Disclaimer: This is a FitApproach Ambassador Campaign. Core Foods sent me these three bars for free in exchange for a review. All opinions on this product are my own. 

March 4, 2013

Oh boundaries… one of my favorite topics to discuss with clients. I think that boundaries are foundational for our health. If we don’t have healthy boundaries, we cannot have healthy relationships with ourselves or others. Basically, boundaries are like an invisible fence. They show us what is me and what is not me, what things are within my fence of responsibility, and what things are outside of my fence of responsibility. 

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I find that people tend to go one of two ways if they have unhealthy boundaries. First, the are irresponsible for their own property (trying to get others to take responsibility), or they become overly responsible for another person’s property (not allowing them to be responsible for their own “stuff” in life). With the second option, we feel like that is truly loving to another person. GUESS WHAT? It is not loving. It keeps the other person stuck in a cycle of irresponsibility, we don’t provide them the opportunity to become a fully functioning adult, and we become a codependent in their life. YUCK. What’s the most loving on the surface is not always the most loving in reality.

So what does that mean, and what is my “property”? The things that are in my property, that I am responsible for, are my thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and responsibilities I have been given (at my job, taking care of children, etc…). The other side of this coin is that I am not responsible for another person’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, or responsibilities they have committed to in life. 

For boundary stompers, people who can’t respect another’s “no”, people pleasers, and co-dependents, these ideas are incredibly difficult. In general, boundaries are difficult at different points for each of us. However, the truth remains that boundaries are the foundational blocks for relationships, and without them, the health of our relationships, and both people in that relationship, will suffer.

Now it’s your turn to share! We each struggle with boundaries at some point in life. What makes having healthy boundaries so difficult? What things fall into your property, and what things aren’t in your property (but you wish was in your property)?

March 3, 2013

I’ve started a new tradition before I do my long runs each weekend. Because this is my third training cycle, I go back and read my blog posts that are parallel to the week of training I’m currently in, as well as the posts that talk about running the mileage that I have planned for the week. It’s fun to see how it went, and remember the things that helped or hurt the situation.

This week’s “long run” was the first run that my IT band near my knee really flared up. In fact, I ended up stopping to stretch it a few times on the run. I’m fearful that I’m heading down the road that I did his past fall. Hmmm… Here’s what the week looked like:

February has been a weird month schedule wise, and I think that March is going to be weird as well. I do have to admit that it has been hard for me to fall into a new workout routine when every week is different and isn’t like my typical weeks of the last few years. My goal is to still work out 5 days a week, so I did that. I still think that pilates is an important part of my training cycle, so I’m making it a priority!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one of your favorite things about this past week? 

March 1, 2013

Happy March! Normally I’m overwhelmingly excited for March to hit because it means I “survived the winter”. However, my attitude has changed a bit towards winter (and our winter wasn’t too bad), so I actually wish I had a little more time before the crazy that is the spring hits. Either way, I’m glad that I’m choosing to not hate the winter so much anymore.  Here are some highlights from the month.

Here’s a check in for my 13 in 2013 challenge:

So, things are slowly happening. Really, being sick in January has slowed down the progress I’ve made on all my fitness goals. However, I am actually making progress, and it’s been really good for me to put these challenges out on this blog so that I think more often about them!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one of your favorite posts from February (link up below if you’d like!)? How are your goals or intentions for 2013 going? 

February 28, 2013

Oh boy. This has been a really crazy week. My last few days I’ve been gone 14+ hours a day, so I get home, eat a late dinner, go to bed, wake up and workout, and do it again. When I was in grad school, I was used to this, but now, not so much at all. I sat down after work today and realized just how exhausted I really was. I thought I’d spend the afternoon catching up on some housework that has stacked up the last few days, but sometimes rest is just what’s needed. In that vain, here’s what I’m thankful for today:

I’m thankful for a shorter work days on thursdays this month. Longer days at the beginning of the week tend to mean shorter days at the end of the week. I’m so thankful that I have a few extra hours today to just sit and rest.

I’m thankful for friends who are willing to listen and process life with me. Life would be so dull without friends! Yesterday I had a long day, but still spent some time with a friend doing some hard work and processing of life stuff (it’s also great that I have friends who are also counselors!).

I’m thankful for the groups I’m leading. I’m so energized by leading these groups, and I love getting to see the participants make connections, learn, and grow! I’m so happy I have the opportunity to lead them!

I’m thankful I decided to get up and bike today. I haven’t gotten a good night of sleep all week, so I really debated giving up another 40 minutes to work out. However, I decided to force myself up at 5:45 this morning so I could get in a 7 mile bike ride before work. The ride was really great and definitely gave me the energy I needed to get through the day!

I’m thankful for the meals I cooked on Sunday and the time it has saved this week. Making meals at the beginning of the week so I didn’t have to cook the rest of the week was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had. With how busy my days are, if I didn’t    have pre-made meals, I definitely wouldn’t be eating real meals. Best. Idea. Ever. 🙂

Alright, this post is short and sweet because I am going to take some time for myself this evening!

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you thankful for today? 

February 27, 2013

I’ve read lots of posts in the last year where people profess their love for lentils, but until this past week I had never tried them before. While looking online for recipes to use lentils in, I stumbled on this recipe for Hearty Sweet Potato & French Lentil soup. I adapted it and am happy with the results!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings at least, depending on how much you eat!)

Here’s what I did. I chopped up all vegetables into small pieces and put into my crock pot. I then measured out beans and sifted through them, tossing any pebbles or bad looking beans I saw. I then measured out .5 of a cup of quinoa and rinsed before putting it in the crock pot. After draining a can of garbanzo beans, I also added that to the crock pot.

Hearty Lentil Veggie Soup Collage

After tossing in the liquids (vegetable stock and tomato juice), I threw in the spices, covered the crock pot, and turned it on low. I mixed everything up right at first, and mixed the soup again about three and a half hours into cooking. I cooked on low for about 6 hours! Because this makes such a large quantity, I immediately froze three servings for another week!

Hearty Lentil Veggie SoupThis soup is perfect for the winter, and is a great meal after working out!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one of your favorite winter meals? Do you have a specific food you add to lots of meals to add extra “healthiness”? (For me it’s quinoa and beans!)