fun stuff

Happy Monday Tuesday blends!

How was your weekend? Mine was bueno, albeit busy. Oh so very busy... I feel like I need to seriously catch up on a ton of stuff I had hoped to do this weekend.

flowers from this weekend

I started my weekend with some kitchen painting but meh... I dunno, I struggle picking colors and I'll be repainting the kitchen next weekend with my trusted helper. My two other helpers I unlisted were somewhat useless.

I'd show pics but my point and shoot camera is MIA. I have a sneaking suspicion Nate took it with him out of town...

The weekend involved a lot of this ...

eis kaffee!!

and some of this...

sangria

I'll post recipes later this week... Sangria is a staple in this house for the summer and I've finally perfected the perfect eiskaffee!

Tomorrow we'll talk about some weighty matters... fun stuff, right?

How was your weekend?

Girls on the Run Challenge

so, you know how Disney has the Goofy Challenge ever January?!

No? Well, the Goofy Challenge is where you run a Half-Marathon on Saturday and a Full Marathon on Sunday...pretty darn Goofy eh?

Well.. these are are my from Girls on the Run Challenge...

2 5ks back to back! Ok, so maybe it's not that cool...but still! Now I have 3 Medals...whoot whoot!!

For any newbie runners out there: register for a Girls on the Run 5k as your first race so that you'll get a medal. The next race won't be till the Fall but that will give you plenty of time to prepare!

Anyone else run races back-to-back?
Participated in a Girls on the Run 5K before?
Run the Goofy Challenge? 
Want to run the Goofy Challenge? I sorta do!

In and Out

Morning blends!

How was your weekend? Mine was...busy! Seriously busy.. Back to back Girls on the Run 5K's..recaps to come!

I have a self-imposed deadline this week for some freelance work I'm doing so I'll prolly be MIA again.

I have this habit of dabbling my feet in a gazillion things to prove to myself and others that I am capable of doing certain things, and although I don't hate the freelance work, I'm just not at a point where I can dedicate the necessary time needed to do it. When will I learn?!

My first priority right now is to lose weight and I'm struggling making time. My next priorities are to start and finish the landscaping...haven't been able to get around to that either!

At least I'm aware of all of this, and trying to re-focus on whats important. I'll admit I bit off more than I can chew!

Hope all of you are doing splendid... catch up soon!

Flat Top Grill

this one's for my locals (or other Mid-West peeps!) since Flat Top can only be found in Illinois, Indiana,
Wisconsin and Michigan.

Michigan currently only has a location in Ann Arbor but it looks like they are trying to open another one in Rochester.

the interior

I am not being sponsored to type this but if you would like to sponsor me, I'd be all about that Flat Top!!

I'm  just slightly obsessed...I love their food, their bread and their flavored lemonade....oh holy yum..

I think the first time we went to Flat Top was the 6th of May and I've been back 3 times.

veggies galore

It's your create your own stir-fry place, but BETTER... seriously...

Not only can you get stir-fry, but you can turn your veggies/meat into a soup, lettuce wraps, mu-shu all for the same price!

They have soy products I've only thought of trying!

 so delicious!!!

But my true obsession is....

the pancake type bread is the roti

 the roti! holy cow... amazing! I can't get enough of it and thankfully the waitress twisted my arm into trying it the first time we were there.

 On the weekends they have a breakfast bar...awesome right!? it is!

Anything you would want...like an omelett..

with more roti!

or maybe french toast..

But you can get really pancakes, egg scramble, oatmeal.. they've got it, and at such reasonable prices..in my opinion.

that rice holder actually holds oatmeal in the AM

Nice thing too is that they don't charge you to take your left-overs home...an unnamed place typically won't allow you too if you only eat one bowl.

They are the Real Deal special today so pick  $20 worth of food for $10.!

Been there?
Love it?
Hate it?

another week, another dollar

Hello blends.. Happy Monday!!

Thanks to Blogger being down most of Friday, my post regarding my Dad's one year injury anniversary and a great initiative Kroger, P&G and the USO are sponsoring might have gone unnoticed, so if you have the time and are so inclined, please go check it out here!

I hope you all had a sunnier weekend then I did because mine was quite gloomy and wet!

Source

That and poor Nate's back gave out on him on Friday so all of the grandiose house plans we had didn't happen... we did however waste more time couch shopping on Sunday! ugh... I don't even know where to begin.. everything is just so expensive and we have a cat who likes to claw furniture so I fear spending a lot of money if she's only going to destroy it.

Source

In other news.. I've totally overloaded my plate this week...if I go MIA, I'll be back..promise! I just really hope this doesn't wreak havoc on my already struggling diet... when am I gonna learn?

Today marks Week 4 of my Dexter - Ann Arbor training and I still have my long run to do for last week... yeah... how about dem apples?!

Week 4 Training:
Tempo: 20 mins at moderately, hard pace
Quality: 3 - 5 1-K at 10 seconds per mile faster than 10K goal pace. Walk or jog 3 minutes between segments.
Long: 6 - 7 easy

I'm gonna shoot for some quality strength workouts but uhm.. I can't promise anything, this weeks busy!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Shake Hands with a Hero

 

This past Wednesday marked the 1-year anniversary of my dad’s accident in Afghanistan.

I still can’t believe it was only last summer that I commuted back and forth from D.C. to assist him with his rehabilitation at Walter Reed.

Given that I spent the majority of the summer D.C., I missed out on a lot of barbeques and get together’s back home, which was fine but some days were so mentally grueling that all I wanted was to just sit back and kick up my feet from all of it. Thankfully, there were of plenty of organizations that came out during the week as well as on weekends to offer barbeques or other family inspired events for those of us that were in the hospital 10-12 hours a day. I would have completely lost my mind as well as my summer had it not been for so many organizations that took time out of their busy schedules to bring “home” to those of us at the hospital.

I talked a tad about how grueling the days could be, trying to stay strong for my dad while trying to figure out what exactly the Dr’s were saying, acting as my father’s advocate when I wasn’t in town and concerned about his care. I don’t even know how wives with children who had to be even stronger than I made it through some days. The exhausted looks on their faces at 10 PM explained it all.

My Dad at one of the barbeque's

I’ll admit I was hesitant to leave the side of my dad while I was visiting him. Mainly I wanted to maximize the time I could spend with him but secondarily, I’m not much of a mingler but there was always a huge push from the hospital staff for family to go out and enjoy the entertainment and food provided by organizations’ wanting to thank the families and their soldiers for their service. Thing is, even if I was only outside for a half hour, that half hour of sunlight and fresh air rejuvenated me long enough that I felt like I could power through the rest of the day or evening.

So when I saw that Procter and Gamble (P&G) in conjunction with Kroger are donating $250,000 to the USO – an organization that provides an extensive range of programs at more than 150 centers in more than 27 countries and at hundreds of entertainment events each year to support the morale, welfare, social and entertainment needs of troops and their families, free of charge – in its mission to help American troops and their families.

As part of the partnership Kroger and P&G have created an opportunity to let consumers virtually “shake hands with a hero” – the proper custom to show your gratitude to US soldiers’ in uniform to thank them for their service to our country. The first 50,000 people who utilize the microsite application at www.honoringourheroes.com to shake a soldier’s hand will receive a coupon loaded to their Kroger Plus Card for $1 off P&G products!

My bro at the same barbeque

So I ask you guys to please check out the website above, and thank a solider personally. Our armed forces including their families make such a sacrifice for us, lets show them a little love.

Thank you to Procter & Gamble, Kroger and the USO for sponsoring this blog post and the Shake Hands With A Hero initiative. Please click here to learn more about this program. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Hazelnut Creamer Substitute

remember when I gave up creamer (sometime last fall I believe) mainly because i couldn't say i was eating cleaning and still daily drinking copious amounts of Coffeemate!

i thought it would kill me to give it up...it has not

i thought my world would end... it has not

although drinking coffee hasnt been the same, I'm drinking more now than I used to.

As I weened myself off of Coffeemate, I tried flavored coffee and meh..

I've been using sugar-free flavored syrup and half-n-half...

kahlua is alright... i LOVE the hazelnut

dare i say i've grown to prefer it over creamer? i do... the creamer just tastes fake to me now, but now I'm worried about the saturated fat in the half-n-half...

i can't win.

i was apprehensive about trying this hazelnut milk.

I'm not a huge fan of almond milk. i feel it's a tad watery and has an off taste, but I went ahead and tried the hazelnut milk anyways, because the cals are similar to milk with no saturated fat

It tastes better than almond milk but isn't as creamy as my 2 tbsp's creamer. I've been using 1/4c. milk plus 1 tbsp hazelnut syrup and 1 tbsp creamer to make it more hazelnut-y/creamy..

1/4 c. of hazelnut milk only has 27.5 cals, 3.5 gr. fat (0 sat. fat)  

vs 

2 tbsp creamer has 40 cals, 3.5 gr. fat (2 sat. fat)

I know in the grand scheme of things, if I monitor my saturated fat elsewhere if I have 3 servings of half-n-half it should be manageable.

I still may try this though..

Source

Anyone drink Silk?

Love Torani syrups?

Additional thoughts?

Week 3 Dexter - Ann Arbor

oh man.. I can't believe I am almost half way there till my next race, race. I'll be running 2 5K's back to back the 21st and 22nd but no plans to PR for those two.

what i love about this training plan, is that it doesn't feel like a training plan. or, maybe I'm just accustomed to "training" now. I dunno, thoughts?

Running for this week includes:
tempo: 20 mins moderatley hard - 10/20 secs. faster than 10k pace
speed: 6-8 hill repeats
recovery: 6-7 miles easy

Add in some Shred and maybe a few bike rides and I should be all set.

How you doin' on your plans?

Mother's Day

Happy Monday blends...

whose tired? I am...

Source

 This weekend just blew by... I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Saturday was non-stop from 7 am - 8 pm...

Sunday was a little better although it seemed like we were running around non-stop.

At 4, my mom came over for coffee..

Simple...but I like it and hopefully the next time I show a picture of my dining room, my walls will be painted and Illl have my new dining room set!

Cakes, because you know, none of us have a weight  problem!

a Coldstone Ice Cream cake

Himmelstorte...recipe to come later this week

After a quick slow game of Carcassonne, we had dinner... European style... so delicious...

Lox, cured meats and a smorgus board of breads

So delicious.... and a bummer no real festivities like this will be again for a while...although my ever expanding waist line will appreciate it!

How as your weekend? 
Mother's Day?

almost..

but not quite... i'll post the recipe once I've perfected it!

new direction

so as I'm attempting to battle the weight again, it's time to change some stuff up.

I would have started Week 9 of P90X Lean yesterday but I've decided to focus on more of a caloric burn.

I love P90X, I think it's a great program but right now, I need to focus on shedding this weight which means its time to bump up my cardio.

I haven't exactly figured out my plan but I need more high intensity so... I'm trying Jillian's Shred again.

The last time I tried the Shred was last April but gave up because I didn't want to workout at home...and now its my reality. It was pretty decent. I'm not doing it every day, maybe every other day. We'll see...I'm really trying to take everything one day at a time because I just feel so overwhelmed at trying to re-shed this weight.

Any recs for DVDs? I would greatly appreciate them!

This morning I started my day with a quick run around the neighborhood with Rose!

It was awesome...and we are determined to make it a weekly date!

I'm even lucky enough to see her tomorrow at the Food Allergy 5K!
For any locals, if your interested, come out to the U of M - Dearborn campus, cheer on runners or even run yourself. It's gonna be a crazy fun time! and you'll get to meet/see me!

Have a good weekend!

addictions

I feel like I've been spreading it all over the web... except for in my own space.

Source

I've been seriously struggling with my weight. I'm up, again.

Every day I set out with a goal to eat less, snack less, more more. I'm pretty good with the first and last but get lost someplace with the snacking.

I'm struggling harnessing the power and yet every day I feel uncomfortable in my skin, my clothes. You'd think that would be enough to get my crap together but it isn't. The small amount of comfort I get from food is what is doing me in.

and so today, I try again.

Week 2 Training Dexter - Ann Arbor

I mentioned yesterday that training is exciting again and that my funk has finally lifted.

I'm thinking it could be that this particular training program is a little different than my first training program (Hal Hidgon's) I used.

Training

Week 1 had me doing this and this weeks training include:

1. 35 - 45 mins. at moderate pace
2. 6 x 1k at 10 seconds per mile faster than 10k goal pace; walk 2.5 mins btw ea. set
3. 5 to 7 miles easy

Thoughts

So far this week I completed workout 2 since when workout 2 was actually scheduled I hope to be meeting up with Rose and didn't want to subject her to my crazy speed work.

It was interesting for sure, I haven't done speedwork before and I have no clue how I ran since I don't normally track me distance in kilometers. I also paused it for the 2.5 minute walk break, so the time I have for 6k I'm quite happy with. I hear I ran faster than what my goal pace is.

I think part of my funk has to deal with the fact that my pace has significantly dropped since my Half, and that's lead me to be completely de-motivated. I'm sure it's a combination of weight gain, less running, and weather change. Guess I gotta work on the first two eh?

Anyways..head over to Rose's and give her some blog love...she had a rough Half last weekend and for someone whose been there, support is always appreciated!

time flies

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...how be you?

I can't believe it's already Tuesday...things have been crazy up in this -ish. for real.

the weekend flew by...Nate and I have been very determined and focused in finishing up the tile job..remember that one?! we just finished the kitchen before christmas and the mud room needed to be finished...besides grouting..it's done!

add an overbooked Saturday to that and poof...the weekend is gone!

i think a home renovation project is a must for any soon to be married couple, because if you can get through that...you can get through anything! for real.

i'm in the midst of finishing up my first full-time semester and wow, it's been crazy but good. i feared taking all these classes because a) i struggle with sciences but b) i also thought i wouldn't enjoy them. I am, in particular Anatomy and Phys..super hard but wow...amazing all the cool things our bodies can do.

I know my blogging has been somewhat all over the place the last few weeks, but I'm attempting to make things happen over here, and that just means less time on the computer. I hope you understand.

I'll be back tomorrow to talk about Week 2 of my training... I think it's exactly what I needed to get back into the running groove!