Welcome! I’m Caroline
follow me
Subscribe By Email
Search The Little Things Blog
Follow Me On Bloglovin’
Categories
Archives
Like I mentioned on Thursday, I’ve been fighting a bit of a cold, and have definitely felt a lot less energetic this week than in previous weeks. I ended up cutting exercise way back this week, and I’m ok with that. Sometimes we need these cutback, rest weeks in order to be healthy. Here’s what the week looked like:
- Sunday: Rest
- Monday: 4.9 mile walk, 2:30 planks
- Tuesday: Rest, 3:00 planks
- Wednesday: Rest, 2:30 planks
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: 2.70 mile walk
Total Miles: 7.6 mile walk + 8:00 minutes planks
I told you it was a major cut back week! I think my body needed this week more then I knew, and I’m glad I listened to my body and gave myself the rest I needed. As runners I know you all know how difficult that can be sometimes!
Now it’s your turn to share! Is it hard for you to cut back on exercise, even when you know it’s best for you?
Ingredients (makes 2 servings)
- 8-9 pieces of bread
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/3 tsp cloves
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
- powdered sugar (optional)
- syrup
It was quite easy to make. Here’s what I did.
Mix up the eggs. Then add spices, molasses, and vanilla flavoring.
Cook french toast as you normally would. Because of the coloring of the spices and molasses, you have to be a bit more careful because you can’t judge purely on color.
I sprinkled some powdered sugar and syrup on it, and dug in immediately. It smelled almost exactly like gingerbread cookies, and it was just as delicious! If you’re looking for a delicious “Christmas” type of breakfast to make, this is definitely one you need to try!
Now it’s your turn to share! DO you make seasonal food at all? Do you have any fun plans for today?
© Caroline, Journey To Wellness, 2012
Happy Friday!! Does anyone have fun Christmas plans this weekend? I’m definitely planning to cram lots of Christmas movies, food, music, and walks into my weekend. As always, this week was full of all sorts of great articles and blog posts. Here’s a link up to a few of them:
Running Farther, Faster, and Longer Can Kill You: This post discussed some more “extreme” forms of running, and discussed moderation as the key to health in this area of exercise. Interesting thoughts…
Best Body Fitness Round 4 Open: Tina from best body fitness has just opened signups for her 4th round of boot camp. Check it out!
Thursday Thoughts: Alzheimers: Molly wrote about her experience with a family member who has alzheimers. This post is great, and I encourage you to head over and check it out (and maybe give her a bit of encouragement too!).
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup: This soup looks perfect for a chilly winter night!
Instamotivation: For those days where you’re feeling a bit down about yourself or need a little kick to get moving and be healthy…
Peace On Earth: When Holidays Don’t Feel So Joyful: Ok, it’s kind of weird to include one of my own links here, but I really love the story that’s included on this post. I mean, I really, really, really like it. Check it out if you haven’t already!
Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have any fun plans or anything Christmas-y or for Hanukkah this weekend? Also- feel free to post a link to one of your own blog posts from this week in the comments!
Whew. Time is definitely flying by! Doesn’t it always fly by during the Christmas season? I’m still trying to fight off a nasty little cold I got from a family member at Thanksgiving, and while it’s not too bad of a cold, it’s definitely drained some of my normal energy this week. Just because I’ve felt a little off doesn’t mean I’m not still thankful though! Here are a few things I’m thankful for this week:
I’m thankful for Christmas parties! Since I last posted I’ve been to 3 Christmas parties (2 of them associated with work), and I’ve loved all 3. Both work parties had all sorts of delicious foods, and the other party was a gift exchange and movie night at my place with a few friends from grad school. All three were relaxing, fun, and included lots of laughter!
I’m thankful for a simple “thanks”. As one of my clients was leaving this past week she thanked me for everything this semester. If you need thanks for what you do, counseling is certainly not the right field to be in, and I definitely don’t expect it. Because of that, when someone does say thank you, it means a huge amount to me, and I definitely appreciate it. Hearing that one simple word definitely warmed my heart that day.
I’m thankful for beautiful sunshine and warm days. It’s been cold the last few days, but the weekend and start to the week was either sunny or warm each day. This past Friday I got to go on a 7 mile walk in the beautiful 65 degree sunshine, and it was fantastic. It’s really rare to ever be able to wear shorts in December. I’m thankful for beautiful days amidst the rainy cold days!
I’m thankful for access to a bike in the winter. In the winter I’m not able to bike outside, both because there’s ice and because it’s dark and I don’t work out alone when it’s dark. While a stationary bike isn’t ideal, I’ve found a great hill program that I can do, and it’s great cross training.
I’m thankful for Christmas lights! I have lights hanging up all over my living room and my office at work. All day I’m surrounded by twinkling white lights, and I can’t help but smile when I see them. Christmas cheer all around!!
I’m thankful for an oven and stove in my kitchen. This is really simple, and doesn’t necessarily add any joy (at least consciously) to my life. However, this weekend as I spent a few hours cooking, I realized how much more difficult things would be if I had to build a fire and cook over that. Ovens and stoves are really convenient, and I’m thankful for them!
Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today? What’s one modern convenience that you’re glad you have?
To start you’ll peel the parsnip like you peel a carrot (and it smells very similar too).
Once peeled, you’ll cut them into fry shaped pieces. I didn’t do a great job of cutting them into attractive looking fries, but it worked out just fine. After placing them on a cooking shirt, cover with a little olive oil.
Once I sprayed the fries with olive oil, I sprinkled sea salt on half of them and red cayenne pepper on half. Of course you can use whatever spices you would like! I cooked for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees and they were done!
Voila! A healthy and delicious spin to the traditional fry! I ate mine with some sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, and they were delicious! Most of them didn’t even find their way to my plate. I have to say that I was pretty hesitant to try parsnip, but I’m glad I went outside my comfort zone and gave them a try!
Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever tried parsnip before? Have you eaten something recently that was outside of your comfort zone?
When I hit the road on Thanksgiving, I was a little nervous how the hill would go, especially because I hadn’t done it in about 4 months. I was happy that I zipped up it with not too much problem at all. Clearly, despite training on a stationary bike, I was still developing strength and endurance! I was really happy to see that, and great news for all of us training for triathlons or other bike races next spring and summer!
This is what I do:
I do this sports hill interval workout that’s a KILLER. Every 1.5 or 2 minutes I climb a hill for 1.5 to 2 minutes, then go flat for the same length of time. These intervals are a killer, and I’m definitely shaking when I’m done with the workout. Over the last few months I’ve wondered how it would work, but I have to say that it’s been great! I’m guessing that this type of cross training also helped me set my 22 minute PR in my last half marathon!
Stationary bikes have lots of different types of workouts, but this is the one that I’ve found that I enjoy the most. I guess the whole point of this post is just to say don’t fear the stationary bikes. They can be a great benefit to your fitness level throughout the winter, and can be a great type of cross training for all you runners out there!
Now it’s your turn to share! If you train for triathlons, how do you keep up your training in the winter? What’s your favorite way to modify “outdoor activities” when the weather isn’t nice?
Disclaimer: I am not a certified trainer or a doctor, and this post is not meant to take the place of either. This post is meant to simply share another option for working out that has worked well for me! Please talk to your doctor before beginning a new fitness regimen.
I love Christmas- the entire Christmas season! I spend each day (at least some point in the day) getting in the holiday spirit, and I love it. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. Sometimes, though, things happen in life that make it difficult to get in the holiday spirit. Maybe we’ve gone through a divorce, a friend or family member has died, we lost our job, or we’re struggling with an illness. We lose things, wars hit, and life seems void of joy. I found this message that really stuck out to me, about the song I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day. If you don’t want to read the story, make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to listen to the song. Here’s part of the story behind the song. It’s a really moving story, so while I know it’s long, it’s well worth the time it takes to read it!
Longfellow had been married to his wife, Fanny, for 18 years. She had helped him piece his life back together after the sudden and tragic death of Longfellow’s first wife after only a year of marriage. Together, Henry and Fanny were blessed with five children, two boys and three girls.
Fanny had trimmed the beautiful curls of seven-year old Edith’s hair and decided to save the clippings as moms do. When lighting a match to melt some sealing wax for the envelope she was using to save the curls, a few embers fell unnoticed onto Fanny’s dress. It happened that a summer breeze was blowing through a window, which enflamed the embers and ignited her clothing. In a split second, she was entirely engulfed in flames. To protect the children, she ran out of their room to Henry’s study for help. All that was available to him was a smallish rug. When that failed to put out the flames, he wrapped Fanny in his arms in an attempt to extinguish the flames with his body. But it was not enough. Fanny died from her injuries the next day. Henry himself was so badly injured in the attempt to save her that he was unable to attend her funeral and his face was so disfigured and scarred that he was unable to even shave for the rest of his life.
Being plunged into the dark night of a war that he hated and a death that emptied his heart shook Longfellow’s faith to its foundations. Because he was a prolific writer, much of that struggle was recorded in his journals. The first Christmas after the start of the war and Fanny’s death, Longfellow wrote, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.” His entry for Christmas Day 1862 records, “A merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me.” Then to add to his anguish, in 1863, his oldest son with Fanny, Charles, was severally wounded in battle and sent home to recover forcing Henry to tend to his injuries. Watching his son suffer turned Longfellow’s prayerful questions into shouts of rage at God for failing to stop the war…save his wife…spare his son injury. His life and his faith had never been more in tatters.
When it came time to pen his journal entry for Christmas Day 1863 the ringing of church bells outside of his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts inspired him to give voice to his struggle with God. That journal entry became the lyrics for our Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” He began writing of his convictions. Of how God’s Son was sent and Christmas celebrates the advent of peace on earth; of how, like the ringing bells, the Church had heralded this truth throughout the millennia. He KNEW this to be true.
But he then began to write of how his life was disconnected from that truth. There was no peace; none for him and none for his country. As wars raged externally and internally in his life, all he could do was bow his head in despair because “hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth good will to men.” He hit bottom. He had no hope. The hurricane winds of conflict had blown out the flickering candle of his hope for peace.
But then God used the continued chiming of the church bells to perform a miracle in his heart. He noticed in the midst of despair, that the bells continued to ring. Pealing loud and deep, they speak to Longfellow reminding him that “God is not dead nor doth he sleep.” In the persistent ringing of the Christmas bells he finds the bottom of his restless ocean of pain, and springs out of the abyss of despair once more into the light of faith. In spite of the robbery of personal peace represented by the loss of his wife and the injury of his son, and the robbery of global peace manifested by the war that raged around him, the bells that continued to ring proclaimed to him that the Christ who brought peace on earth will one day finish the job; “Wrong will fail. Right will prevail.” Because of Christ, there will one day come a time where there is truly peace on earth, good will to men. (from Blue Valley Baptist Church sermon on Christmas Eve, 2009
by Derrick Lynch)*
Wow. That’s a pretty powerful story behind a song, isn’t it? Longfellow’s life was full of pain and despair, yet in those moments he was still able to find peace. I wanted to share this story because it touched my heart, and because I love the song! Enjoy-
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-150Y6Hf8ds]
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s your favorite Christmas song? How do you try to find peace amidst pain?
*I am in no way affiliated with Blue Valley Baptist Church. I simply thought part of the message was interesting and chose to share it here.
This week I got a little bit more into more normal workout routine. I ran a bit yesterday, but by 0.8 of a mile my IT bands started hurting, and I figured that there was no point in pushing. I thought maybe with a week and a half of no running it would feel better, but it actually felt much worse than my race on Thanksgiving. Grrr. The rest of the week was great!
- Sunday: Rest- traveling all day
- Monday: 1.45 mile walk, 2:30 planks
- Tuesday: 1.75 mile walk, 2:30 planks
- Wednesday: 7.59 mile bike, 2:30 planks
- Thursday: 2.0 mile elliptical, 2:30 planks
- Friday: 7.35 mile walk
- Saturday: 1.0 mile run, .50 mile walk, 3:00 planks
Total Miles: 1.0 run + 7.59 bike + 2.0 elliptical + 10.55 walk= 21.64 total miles and 13 minutes of planks
The weather has been SO nice the last few days, and I’ve been taking advantage of it and spending time outside.
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you accomplished this week? Was the weather nice enough to work out outside, or were you inside this week?
Here are the Ingredients I used:
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
- 1 tsp cinnamon for the egg wash
- 3 pieces of bread
- 1 small apple
- 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon for the apple topping
- syrup (if desired)
Here’s what I did:
I mixed the eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon together, dipped the bread in it, and cooked the bread until golden brown.
While the toast was cooking, I cut up the apple into very thin slices. After the toast was done cooking, I put it in the microwave to keep it warm, and cooked the apples until they were soft.
I put the apples and cranberries on top, poured a little syrup, and enjoyed! It was delicious and was the perfect start to my morning. And of course the cranberries didn’t disappoint! Enjoy!
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s your favorite thing to put on top of french toast? Do you have a typical Saturday morning breakfast or routine?
Happy December! I’m posting my links today since I did my goals and recap post yesterday! This week has been interesting trying to get through all the blogs in my reader that I missed over the holiday. Was anyone else tempted to hit “mark all as read”? Here are some great links I read this week:
Elf For Health: This six week challenge is all about healthy living through the Christmas season. Round one is going on right now, but you are free to join in (even unofficially). Check it out!
Vegan Cranberry Crumble Bars: Emily from Daily Garnish once again shared a delicious sounding recipe this week. I’m a huge fan of cranberry, so this recipe immediately stuck out to me.
Holiday Eating Without Overthinking: Tina shares 5 simple and easy tips to healthy eating throughout the Christmas season.
25 Little Known Facts About Boy Meets World: I LOVE watching boy meets world, and watch an episode or two every few weeks. This article was really interesting, and it makes me want to go back and watch the entire season straight through again!
Cell Phone Addiction Driven By Impulsivity: Interesting article about constant connection to our phones
Now it’s your turn to share! Did you learn anything interesting this week? Feel free to share a post of your own in the comments.