oh MY-lage

If you look at my monthly mileage tallies for January through August (below), you will note that August BLEW all other months out of the water!  Okay...maybe August didn't blow April "out of the water" per say, but it beat it, okay?!  Sheesh...tough crowd!

Jan: 8.5

Feb: 23.4

Mar: 30.4

Apr: 40.1

May: 37.8

June: 31.7

July: 26.65

Aug: 43.05 

Now, granted...I had a half marathon thrown in there (on August 1st, no less), but still...I'm pretty proud of myself because clearly there was a big downward trend going on there after April.  May hit and I let so many factors overwhelm me...the hip thing was still an issue, the heat was becoming a bigger problem as each day passed, my confidence was deteriorating and eventually, I just felt like a poser.  I was just positive I was trying to be something I wasn't and I had no business doing it.  At least this was what my head was telling me.

What changed?  A combination of several things with the main factor being running with a group in preparation for the full marathon.  It kinda makes me wish I had trained with a group all along.  I'm getting the coaching, encouragement, and team camaraderie that all carry such a priceless impact on my improvement each and every week.  I had gotten so used to intervalling which equated to me running just over 1/4 of a mile before walking for a minute and here I am running 4 miles without a walking break just in a matter of a couple of weeks.

You know the coolest thing?  My monthly mileage is only going to keep on increasing - between my scheduled Saturday team runs and then the weekly mileage I run on my own, I bet you I hit 600 miles for the year.  How insane is that?!

You know what else is ludacris?  I've written 20 blogs this month.  I've been quite the chatty one!

Well, cheers to a Happy September, friends!  We are all that much closer to some cooler / less humid temperatures and the holiday season!  I, for one, am all about that!  =)

crock pot mac n cheese

I almost couldn't post this blog tonight.  I had it mostly written out already...just needed to take the picture after I finished cooking my dinner before I ate it, but then something weird happened.  I lost my appetite.  No worries, my pretties...I found it again.  It left me after an incredibly humid 3 mile run I did after work and it took an hour and a half of me cooling down and then showering for me to find it again.  I knew it wouldn't leave me for good - it's kinda like old faithful.  ;)

Lately it seems I've been blogging a lot more about food.  Can you tell "summer" is almost over?  That's not to say this heat wave is EVER gonna end in Houston land, but my busy season at work should be starting to slow down and that means more time in my kitchen.  Truth be told, I got kinda fed up with myself for all that eating out or quick grabs at the grocery store.  So, I guess you should be on the lookout for more food blogs from me.   For those of you who are not into running, you are probably just thankful I'm not writing about that all the time!  ha!  =P

Over Memorial Day weekend, my friends Greggy-D and Meliska invited lots o' peeps over to their home for a get-together.  Greggy-D served up some crock pot mac n cheese.  It looked amazing.  Though his was not South Beach friendly, I had a spoonful and cherished it.

That bite of deliciousness was on my mind for a couple of days, so I decided to do some research and make a couple of substitutions to make my own crock pot mac n cheese, a South Beach friendly version.

Ingredients:

1 box of whole wheat pasta
4 cups of 2% shredded cheese
1-12 oz can of fat free evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups of skim milk
1 egg
dry mustard seed
garlic powder
salt
white pepper

Directions:

Wisk the egg.  Add in the can of evaporated milk, wisking it all together.  Add in the skim milk, still wisking.  I never measure my seasonings (I also used Adobo in place of the garlic powder and the salt), so I just add what I think to be the appropriate amount knowing that I can add more to the finished product later, if necessary.  I then wisk some more.  Next, I spray some Pam on the bottom and sides of the interior of my crock pot, pour in the uncooked pasta, then add in the cheese, and then pour the egg and milk mixture on top.  Set the crock pot to low and let it bake for 2 1/2 hours. 

For different flavors, try using different blends of cheese.  I have used a Mexi-blend and an Italian blend on different occasions depending on what protein I was serving it as a side dish with.

Tonight, it's an Italian blend and I even added Italian seasoning.  I served it (to myself - haha) with Mediterranean herb and olive oil (pre-seasoned cuz I'm a shortcut taker at times) extra lean pork loin and a side of oven roasted asparagus seasoned with rock salt and garlic.

mmmm....dessert!

We all know I'm pretty much a day late and a dollar short to jump on all bandwagons.  Sometimes this is a good thing, I suppose, as I can watch others fail if the experiment doesn't succeed.  Sometimes this is a bad thing, though, because I'm a mcwimpy and I become afraid to try "new to me" things.

Recently...um..like on Friday, we know I *finally* tried the ol' Green Monster out just to find out it's not monstrous at all.  In fact, I even had another one on Saturday after my run getting even more adventurous by adding some protein powder, extra spinach, and some flaxseed.  Who is this girl I've become???

A month or so ago, I *finally* experimented with Greek yogurt learning it's a fantastic substitution for sour cream when cooking and now WATCH OUT WORLD...I'm using it to make dessert.

My dessert has Greek yogurt as the base - a pudding of sort  and it came highly recommended by older sister Cathy.  I first tried it on Friday using chocolate pudding, but I quickly saw why Cathy told me that lemon, cheesecake, or the white chocolate sugar free instant pudding mix is best.  Cathy's recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of sugar free / fat free instant pudding mix and 1 individual serving size packet of Splenda to be added to 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt.  She eats this by itself as a snack or dessert.

I decided to kick it up a notch and make it into a parfait.  First, I sort of quadrupled the recipe since I was making the entire 16 oz tub of Oikos Greek yogurt, so initially I put in 1 tablespoon of lemon Jello brand sugar free / fat free instant pudding mix and then I put in 1 tablespoon of sugar substitute that I had in the house since I didn't have any individual packets of Splenda.  I thought it could have used a bit more flavor and sweetness - I'm kind of snobby that way, so I added 2 more teaspoons of both to the tub and I stirred VERY thoroughly.  I test-tasted it again and was very pleased with the results.

I then got out one of my amber goblets and put 1/2 cup of the lemony pudding yogurt in the bottom, followed by half a container of raspberries, followed by a dallup of fat free Cool Whip.  It was a delightful refreshing dessert, to say the least.

I'm thinking I could even add some Uncle Sam cereal to the mix to turn this into a breakfast one morning.  For those not in the know, Uncle Sam cereal is composed of toasted whole-wheat flakes with flaxseed and it has 10 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and less than 1 gram of sugar per serving.  Each serving size it 3/4 of a cup.  I was initially introduced to this product by Lindsay from Pancakes n Pajamas.  You can buy it at Walmart, I know for sure.

Best part yet - it's all South Beach friendly - 3 of my favorite words!!!  =)

In case you are thinking that it would just be easier and/or cheaper to just use instant pudding in it's rightful form or regular flavored yogurt...well I'm sure you would be correct, but Greek yogurt offers some amazing nutritional benefits that neither milk nor regular yogurt can supply.  I'm just on a mission here to attempt to maximize my nutrition whenever possible...so it may not always be the easiest or cheapest ride, but well...nobody ever said getting healthy and staying there was going to be a cheap and easy fix!

The "not so" Green Monster

I saw Mrs-Adventure's post about her Green Monster and it got me thinking that perhaps I should be bold, daring and a bit adventurous and mosey on into this Green Monster world myself.  Sure, sure...I could have used her recipe, but I have never used chia seeds, so I decided to not roam there yet and instead I just googled "green monster recipes"and the first hit asked this very question,  "Hi there, Are you a Green Monster first-timer?"  Why yes, yes I am.  Looked like a perfect place to stop by, and so I did and found my beginner's recipe.

Virgin Green Monster

Ingredients:

2 cups organic spinach

1-1.25 cups milk (your choice of cow’s milk, soy, hemp, almond, rice, etc)

1 tablespoon flax (optional)

1 banana

ice

Directions:

Hi there, Are you a Green Monster first-timer? Have no fear! This recipe is fool proof. Even the biggest skeptic will love this one. Place the ingredients into the blender in the following order: 1) Flax, 2) spinach, 3) banana, 4) milk. The reason for this order is so the heavier ingredients weigh down the flax and spinach and keep it from flying up around the blender and sticking to the side. Blend everything on the highest setting for 1 minute or so. Finally, add ice and blend on the ice setting. Pour into a large, fancy glass. Sit back, gulp it down, and be prepared to have endless energy!

I opted to use skim milk (1 cup) and to add blueberries - the next recipe down in the author's list provided instructions for this additive which was to add 1/2 a cup to the blender.  I actually used frozen blueberries and nixed the ice all together.  This addition changed my Green Monster into a not so Green Monster, you see.  I'd call it a purplish gray.

I was a bit annoyed with myself because I forgot to buy flaxseed at the store yesterday, so I will definitely remember to get some today for future smoothies. 

Thoughts:  Oddly enough, I did not taste the spinach at all.  I felt incredibly full after drinking it (at 4:45am).  It carried me through a 1 mile run on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the elliptical, and 20 minutes on the bike - in other words, this morning's work out.  I was hungry at 7:45am (once I got to work and got my employees all doing their thing), so I had a bit more breakfast.  Basically, I think that was a pretty powerful shake to hold me over for a workout (decent calorie burn) and 3 hours time.  All that for 250 calories of pure good stuff. 

So...if you haven't already done so...are YOU willing to be bold and daring and try a Green Monster???  ;)

If you are already of the bold and daring variety, what's your favorite recipe???

Workout Wednesday

As I mentioned on Monday, I'm TOTALLY challenging myself to workout every single day this week - well Monday through Friday and then, of course, I'll have my group run on Saturday.

Lauren has an on-going Workout Wednesday, Get Your Sweat On blog thing going and since I actually have a workout I'm proud of, I decided to participate this week.  Maybe I'll participate every week since I'm turning over a new consistent leaf, eh?!  How do you like them apples?

Been having some patellar tendon issues in both knees (though it's worse in my right knee), so I ordered some patellar tendon support straps today.  Can't wait for them to get in as they will ultimately compress the sore area which should help reduce swelling and whatnot.  Anyway, was sort of hesitant about whether or not I should try to run at all since I had running AND bike on the schedule today.  I ultimately decided to run one mile on the treadmill and then do the bike for 45 minutes.  Well...that was what I decided to do in my head, but then the actuality was completely different.  Once I got into my groove around 3/4 of a mile, I kinda figured I could whip out another 1 1/4 mile before moving over to the bike.  I actually felt good and I don't mess with that feeling, especially when it comes to running.  I was running at a 13:02 mile pace (yes, slow...I know) for the bulk of the run until I hit the last 1/2 mile and I got wild and crazy and went for the 12:00 mile pace.  I thought it was gonna kill me - no, not my knee...my whole being, but somehow I survived.  When I got to the 2 mile mark, I slowed down the treadmill and speed-walked another 1/4 of a mile as a sort of slow down.  After that, I hopped over to the bike and had at it for 30 minutes (17 miles and some change - not sure if that's good or not).  I'm not gonna lie and tell you my knee was just peachy keen.  It was grumpy and wanted to let its discomfort be known.  I heard it and promised it a love fest with my knee keg (device pictured above I got post ACL surgery that helps ice up my knee) upon return home.

Above and beyond my gym workout, I also managed to sneak in 150 wall push-ups at work during my bathroom breaks.  ;)

So, there you have it - my Workout Wednesday!  I definitely got my sweat on and now I must go wash it away and go to bed.

Peace out!

Exercise Sneaker

I'm not speaking of shoes....

Maybe you will think me a weirdo (or as my brother says, a "weirdo with a beardo"), but since last week's Monday, I decided to do something a little wild and crazy (by my standards, which probably isn't saying much).  I decided to sneak in some form of exercise while I'm at work.  Oh yeah!

Now a couple of years ago, I bought this puppy at Walmart (after seeing the infomercial on tv one day).

It pretty much just sits in my office collecting dust now.  Occasionally I will have a visitor or one of my employees hop on it thinking it's cool, but I think the Leg Magic has lost its...um...magic for me.  I'm not completely giving up on it, though.  It shall stay where it is and maybe one day I will have some desire to have some inner thigh burn again.  Until then....

Every time I excuse myself to go to the lady's room, I do wall push-ups before I allow myself the use of the facilities.  I started off just doing 25 at a time, but now I'm up to 50.  I can feel that burn around 35, but I kinda like it.  People are probably starting to talk about how long my bathroom breaks are...  ;)

You see, I've been totally guilty of concentrating mostly on my cardio and more specifically lower-extremity type work outs - elliptical, bike, and running.  I know that I need to get into weight lifting, but it is soooo not my comfort zone .  I also know that I want to purchase a kettle bell, but I haven't done so yet mostly because I'm not sure what weight to start at (lame excuse, I know).

So, to bottom line it - at least with my work wall push-ups, I'm guaranteeing myself some sort of upper body workout every day.  I can only assume that strengthening my arms would have to benefit my running since there is a direct correlation with the whole power of the arm swing and the movement of the legs (or at least my mentor assures me of this).

So, do you think me completely nuts?  Have you ever considered sneaking in a bit of the exercise while at work?  Don't be shy, do tell!

The Challenge and a new Casserole

I've officially challenged myself to hit the gym every day this week (or at least exercise as running outside will count).  What this means is a 4:30am wake-up on the mornings I decide to do the deed .  It didn't happen this morning, though that was my intention.  Apparently my little Sunday afternoon nap combined with a late night text message hurt my whole 7 hours of planned sleeping to make the early morning rise and shine happen.  =/

No worries, though...good thing I got a do-over after work tonight.

I thought long and hard about whether or not to get some running in and decided I should.  Then I thought long and hard about my chances of a successful run AFTER work with this ridiculous heat.  I opted to run at the gym on the treadmill.  Yes, I know...I'm a treadmill whiner, but at least I did it.  2 miles later (non-stop, I might proudly add - in other words without intervalling), I then hit the elliptical for 35 minutes and called it a night.  


I plan on changing it up a bit throughout the week so I don't get bored and then I'm hoping to turn this into a habit.  It may be asking a bit much to maintain a 5 day a week habit (in addition to my Saturday long run) since life happens, but well...let's just see what happens, shall we?

I also wanted to make sure that I had a food plan in place so that I wouldn't rely on eating out or quick fixes during the week.  I sort of created a meal.  I shredded chicken in the crock pot in some chicken stock.  Once it was cooled, I added a container of plain Greek yogurt for a creamy texture and added protein.  Note that when I made chicken tetrazini, I added cream of chicken soup, but I decided to forgo the soup this time around saving the calories.  I also opted to half the amount of whole wheat noodles and added in spaghetti squash.  Have you ever worked with spaghetti squash before?  Pre-South Beach, I had not.  Then, it became one of my best friends - especially pulling me through Phase 1.  I'm sure there are many different ways to bake one, but the way I do it is to poke lots of holes in it using a sharp knife.  I then put it in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 45 minutes.  After I take my spaghetti squash out of the oven, I carefully cut it in half (long way) and remove the seeds using a fork.  I then use the fork to make "spaghetti" strands and put them in a separate bowl.  Here are some pics.

I wanted to continue to pump up the veggies in my dish, so I roasted some yellow squash and zucchini squash with a bit of Olive Oil Pam and some garlic and rock salt.  I also added frozen chopped spinach.  I layered the squash and spinach in the casserole dish with the combination of  the chicken (still in the stock) with the yogurt and the spaghetti squash and my whole wheat spaghetti noodles. I then thought long and hard about neglecting the cheese, but gosh...I just couldn't do it.  Maybe one day, I'll find that kind of strength.  I just topped the whole concoction with a bit of shredded Parmesan and some Italian seasoning (though I admit fresh herbs would have been better) and behold...a fantastic meal chock full of veggies for the week.  Baked on 350 degrees until it was heated throughout and then wow!  Here's a pic of the finished product.

Have you challenged yourself this week?