Monday, November 29, 2010

Post Thanksgiving Chaos!

Good evening! I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was relaxing, rejuvenating and filling! Our holiday was fantastic. Jason and I piled the cats in the car and made the 6 hour drive to Alliance, and made it just in time for dinner. I actually didn't stuff myself sick this year, must be my new motivation to stay healthy this year. did however, enjoy one large plate of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts with peppers and other veggies. I didn't even have any turkey! I had plenty of wine though. :)
After a few days of catching up on sleep and family time, Jason and I drove to Crawford to hike through Toadstool Park, a geological gem of Western Nebraska. Check out the photos, hard to believe it's Nebraska right?








It was "perfect" weather for November in Nebraska, right at 50 degrees. The sky was unbelievable and we enjoyed a perfect sunset together with a picnic snack: white wine, french bread and dried fruit. Such a great way to end the weekend. The next day (Sunday) we re-packed the car and drove back to Omaha, MUCH to our cat's joy. Genghis was beside himself when he saw our front yard as we drove up! We threw our stuff on the living room floor, turned up the heat and were in bed by 9:45. It made 6:30 much less painful this morning.
After a long day of research, meetings with the Mayor and getting set up with my VISTA materials, I came home around 4:30 to hang with Jason a bit and eat before going to the gym for a run. I made a delicious dinner that I will be making tomorrow night for sure! I sauteed spinach, smoked sun dried tomatoes, sliced almonds, garlic and onion in olive oil and mixed it on top of whole wheat pasta. Top that with parmesan and bread crumbs, and it was delicious! When I got to the gym I quickly realized that dinner was both delicious and too filling. I only made it 3.13 miles before my gag reflex kicked in. I decided to call it a workout before I got sick in front of everyone at the gym :( Lesson learned!
Have a good night everyone! Another day at the Mayor's office and turbo kickboxing tomorrow night! If I have the energy, I may partake in a half price beer at Darios...we will see! :)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Pre-Thanksgiving Chaos...

...thank God for Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss! I had two while I was cleaning and baking this evening. Actually, Hubby did most of the baking. He made two gorgeous pies, an apple and pear pie with almonds and a strawberry and grape pie, also with almonds. They smelled great and I was tempted to eat one before our drive to Alliance! He also made two pans of brownies, luckily one was to take to work. I also made some "30 Minute Fudge" from the blog "How Sweet it Is." It was so simple:

*1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
*1/2 cup condensed milk (I used fat free)
*1/4 cup peanut butter
*1 teaspoon water

Mix all the ingredients and stick them in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the mixture is smooth. Cover and put in the fridge, and there is your fudge! The blog says 30 minutes, but I am leaving mine overnight for some great road trip eats! The munchie list for our 6 hour drive is as follows:

*Brownies
*Fudge
*Apples
*Prunes/Cashews
*Kettle Chips
*And whatever else I can find!

Today I was able to work from home, so I didn't feel as overwhelmed with all the things I had to get done today. First thing in the morning I got laundry and dishes going, and began working on my VISTA timeline for my supervisor. I wanted to get it just perfect so it took me most of the morning, particularly because it is for an entire year. I then hopped in the car, ran some errands, to the store, and to the gym for a 5K run. I did the run in roughly 30 minutes! I was really pleased with the time, hopefully I can keep that pace and build up to an acceptable half marathon time. It gave me plenty of energy to tackle some more items on my list.

The laundry is almost done. The dishes are on their last run. The fudge is setting, my house is clean and my kitties are sleeping. I am due for a shower and then hopefully bed before midnight! I will leave you with an awesome photo from an early morning drive Jason and I took.



Have a great Thanksgiving all!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Great First Week...and loads of great food!

Hello all! This week has flown by, and in a great, crazy, exciting way! I started my VISTA position at the Mayor's office, and I am really beginning to see how my year of service is going to fly by. We had an 8:00 a.m. meeting on Monday with the Mayor and his Chief of Staff, and then spent the rest of the day working on assignments and completing orientation with our supervisor. It was a long day, but I still managed to drag myself to a yoga class at 24 Hour. It was yummy, delicious stretching, perfect for sitting and writing all day long. I felt relaxed but rejuvenated after the class, and made the Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk soup again. This time I used a mushroom broth instead of veggie, and I also added some corn and bread crumbs after it was blended into a silky liquid. It made a hearty dinner that put me to sleep very quickly! Today did not start as early, but I did wake up at 7:30 with Genghis Cat biting my toe. When my cats are hungry, everyone knows about it! :) I had another round of assignments, mock presentations and orientation at the Mayor's office, but we managed to get out a little early today, perfect for me to run a few errands before a killer turbo kickboxing class at 24. Ellen (our instructor) just wanted us to remember to watch our portions on Thanksgiving. It was the most difficult class I have ever had from her. I wish I had a picture to share with you of how sweaty I looked after! Luckily, I fueled with two hard boiled eggs and a bowl of cereal an hour before the class, so I managed to pull through all the way to the end! Lunch today was some of my leftover soup and an apple. I did have to steal a few Whoppers from the candy dish on the Mayor's receptionist's desk for something sweet after. :)

Despite being exhausted from work and kickboxing, I still managed to make it to the store to pick up some item's for a Thai Veggie Curry from "Trading Up Downtown," a new blog from Tina of "Carrot's N'Cake" on shopping and eating well on a budget. I made a few modifications to the recipe which I will include in the "Food" section of my itty bitty blog.

I ate two portions of the curry. Hopefully that shows how good it was! I also had half a bag of steamed artichoke hearts with olive oil and sea salt. It was another dinner date with my favorite veggies, complete with a few episodes of "Friends." I am still wading through a sea of laundry, however, and am hoping to be in bed soon so I can get up and go for a 5 mile run tomorrow! The to-do list is a mile long in preparation for our trip to Alliance to see Jason's family, but it is always a good time in the Panhandle, especially since we are bringing our kitties with us! Have a great night!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

BodyPump!!

Good evening all! Today is a late post because I have been running around like mad. Last night Jason and I got to enjoy and evening out with some friends of his, and we were up rather late playing cards. About 4:30 a.m. late...oh well! It had been a long week and I was glad to take a day to relax and hang with my hubby. After forcing myself out of the trap that is my hubby, warm bed and two cats, I went to my very first BodyPump class. It's finally at 24 Hour Fitness! And it was amazing!! Deadlifts, squats, cleans and presses that made me want to cry with pain and joy. It was great! I definitely felt it immediately afterwards. One of the gals who's blog I follow called "Peanut Butter Fingers"does a short run or elliptical workout afterwards, but I decided since it is my first time that I should take it easy. I came home and fixed myself a delicious black bean and veggie wrap on a whole wheat tortilla with olive oil and fat free cheddar cheese. I also had one of my delicious brownies to follow. My hubby gave me a great mixer for my early Christmas present, which may have been more for his benefit than mine! :)



After a hot bath I promptly fell asleep, almost making me late to work at Dario's. This is my last weekend at the restaurant hosting since I begin my work with the Americorps after Thanksgiving. What a wonderful place to be introduced to great food and fantastic beer! Dinner was at the restaurant and was very simple: sauteed veggies with asparagus and three (small) pieces of delicious bread with a little butter. Follow that with a draft Stella and I had a pretty fantastic dinner. I came home and picked up my house and burned most of it off, however, so I am thinking about having a small bowl of cereal before calling it a night! Have a great one everybody!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

VISTA Training and Good Food

Good Morning! This week has been chock-full and incredibly busy, but also rewarding and exciting! The training for my Americorps position was informative, though incredibly long. There were nearly 300 of us here, one of the larger classes in the history of the VISTA program. We were put up at the Westin in Lombard, IL, a smaller city outside of Chicago. We have had great food, great rooms and a fantastic gym! I have met some great people while on this trip, it is always refreshing to be around people who share my same interests in public service, education, politics and fitness!

Monday was long...we had our flight to Lombard in the morning, and got to the hotel in the afternoon. We had sessions right away after a long registration process. I would have taken photos of the lines, but I was just too tired. Luckily though, we had dinner after we were done getting our paperwork in order. I stuffed myself with a bowtie pasta with pesto and steamed veggies. It was delicious, though I was so full afterwards I wasn't sure I could move out of my seat. I went to check out the gym, which was surprisingly clean and decently stocked for a hotel. I did a circuit workout of the stairclimber, bike and free weights. It felt good to stretch out a bit after being stuck in lines. I was in bed early, there were a long few days ahead!

Tuesday and Wednesday followed each other pretty closely. We had training sessions all day long with coffee breaks and meals in between. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, fruit and coffee. I think I may have coffeed myself out during this trip...it began to make me feel ill after a bit! Lunch was delicious, Mexican food with brown rice, veggies and cheese with flour tortillas. There were also pork tamales with chicken, but I decided to stay away from meat during the conference. Tuesday night, however, I went into Chicago to see one of my closest friends on earth, Lindsey. I was pushing my time with a workout however, so I did a Women's Health plyometrics workout in my room so I could easily change and run out the door to catch the shuttle. This is easily one of my favorite workouts and I am always sore afterwards (I will put it in the "Fitness" portion). The Westin is kind enough to have a shuttle that takes us to the train station, and the train is about a 30 minute ride into the heart of downtown. I was so pooped that I took a quick nap. Lindsey then picked me up and it was overwhelming to see her again! The last time we got to spend time together was eight months ago, the last time I was in Chicago.

Lindz and I!
We went to a Mexican-French fusion restaurant in her neighborhood called Sabour-Savor. We split a baked goat cheese appetizer and I had a veggie lasagna (no noodles, just veggies YUM) with a light sauce and corn. We also paired it with a bottle of wine that she brought from her work. It was great to catch up over such a nice meal.



After we finished we went to my favorite bar in all of Chicago: The Violet Hour. It is a hidden gem right off the street, I always almost miss the door when we are walking by. The manager was kind enough to bring us a rose champagne while we waited for a table (again, pictures to come). The bartender was fantastic and we enjoyed custom drinks that were roll your eyes in your head good. I honestly can't remember the name of mine but I know it had white wine and green Chartreuse, so I was happy. Lindz had a "Grave Digger," which tasted like the best Manhattan on earth. We were so comfortable that I almost missed my train back to Lombard. I literally had to throw myself on the train as the doors were closing. It made me homesick for Washington D.C.

Our bartender at The Violet Hour. Amazing!
Wednesday was another long day of sessions, but this time we were done at 4:00. I had met some great people so we decided to try a local bar called Rockbottom bar. This is a local brewery, so I felt it was necessary to try the premium sampler of their beers. As good as they were, I am still quite spoiled from the Belgium beers at Dario's...but it was still fun to try some local brews.


Before we left for the bar, Maggie and I got a great workout in the Westin gym. I ran a great 5k on the treadmill, at a constant incline and every half mile I sprinted. It was actually one of the better treadmill runs I have ever had. We then did a weight workout I found in the latest "Fitness" magazine called "The Right to Bear Arms." It was a pretty intense workout because I had to use 20 lbs. free weights. It felt great however! Our dinner was a great cold grilled veggie salad with peas, asparagus, squash, peppers, mushrooms and onions, along with a pasta in an alfredo with spinach. So good!!!

Today I am sitting in our final session, a class on how to build a volunteer base within our organizations. We are due to swear in as public servants at 12:30 and our shuttle leaves for the airport at 12:45. It will be tight but I am all packed and checked out, so hopefully it will be an easy ride. It is also quite excited because our service terms will begin and I will finally be able to start my work as a Neighborhood Restoration specialist. We are due to arrive back in Omaha at 4:45. More to come later!

Monday, November 15, 2010

VISTA Training in Chicago!

Hello all! I am writing to you from the most comfortable bed on the planet...I have always loved the hotel rooms here and I am taking some much needed time away from the chaos down in the lobby. The flight from Omaha to Chicago was great, and the airport was less hectic than the registration process. I feel a bit anti-social, but I'm glad to take some time to decompress. More to come later on tonight!

Friday, November 12, 2010

A former Senator, Biscotti and Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

Good evening all! Right away, look who I got a photo with!!



Senator Hagel and I.
Senator Hagel is a visting lecturer at UNO, and comes every few months to discuss politics, community service and education. I am not ashamed to say I really admire Hagel and have always enjoyed his speeches. He spoke for an hour and a half and I was able to sneak in and get this picture with him!
Today was one of those days where you just want to curl in a ball at your best friend's house, drink coffee and bake. Jean made chocolate orange and cranberry almond biscotti from scratch. I was the official "time keeper quality control" helper :) They were AMAZING.






They were light, fluffy, perfect delicious. I would share the recipe, but Jean is very protective of her baked goods, and quite rightly. We also had americanos with italian espresso...so delicious! My meals up until this point were pretty solidly sweet; a piece of my banana bread for breakfast, a croissant with Nutella for a snack, and a few tiny pieces of biscotti. I was eager for something savory for dinner. And I scored big time with a delicious Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk soup, the recipe for which I will put in my "Food" section.



It was pretty righteous. I got to try it out on my in-laws, who stopped by to admire Jason's poker table. It was creamy, rich and nutty. I also left the skins on all the potatoes for an extra bit of texture and nutrients. Accompanying the soup was sauteed zucchini, corn and garlic with olive oil, pepper and sea salt. I ate them all myself! :) It was a perfect meal for chilly day.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

I am a domestic goddess...

...of sorts. Of course I just learned how to do all of these things when I have to start a full time job in a week...oh well. Today I made banana bread, sewed some broken spaghetti straps on a few dresses, made dinner for my hubby and helped finish a poker table! I will load a few pictures of the table, my husband can make anything! It looks incredible!

Dinner was simple but delicious. I made hearty tomato soup with three cheese tortollini, black beans and corn. I also made grilled cheese on whole wheat bread with parmesan and cheddar. It hit the spot and was perfect for a chilly evening. Today was gorgeous however, and I will glad to take advantage of the weather by taking a walk to the grocery store to pick up some items for Chicago next week, and for a Sweet Potato and Coconut soup that I am making tomorrow. I also am geared up to see Chuck Hagel speak at UNO tomorrow. Which means I am going to have to get up at a decent hour...terrible! :) I did a killer kettle bell workout this evening, I can already feel it in my arms. Check it out in the "Fitness" section.

Funny point, last night Jason and I met another couple at Jake's for some drinks and conversation. Though we only had a few drinks, I still always get the late night munchies. Jason opted for a meal from his favorite taco truck in South Omaha. I was craving...what else? Veggies! So I grabbed a bag of artichoke hearts that can be steamed in the microwave. I ate the entire bag, topped with a bit of fat free cheddar and olive oil. Jason just laughed. Anyone else would want McDonald's...I want artichokes! :)

Thrift Store Prizes

Good afternoon! I feel a bit guilty this morning. It is a gorgeous day, the sky is clear, the sun is bright, and I have slept in sooo late with my husband and two cats. Not that it was an incredibly easy situation to get out of. Can you imagine waking up in a warm bed, snuggled by your cats and hubby, not a care in the world? Except for my burning guilt of wasting my day. So I tossed comfort aside and got ready for my day!

As I was eating my breakfast (trusty cinnamon bagel, apple, Greek yogurt, double espresso), I looked around my house and noticed all of my favorite things from various thrift stores around Omaha. I know that many readers already get sweaty when thinking about the new items that take up the shelves each week, but I wanted to show some of my favorites that we have scattered about our house.

Question: What are some of your favorite thrift store finds?

Amazing and huge print: $3

This is a recent purchase from good will: $6. The pictures are displayed below a little closer up.




Jason actually found this in the vintage section of a costume shop. It is loud and fun! The jacket was also originally from The Limited: $8.

I LOVE this print. It came framed and matted from Thrift World and sits on my table in my bedroom. $4

Another Jason discovery. It's an original painting, and he lives in our entryway in the living room.

Tea cups have become another obession of mine at thrift stores. This one is from France and is more of an espresso cup. $1 for both the cup and saucer.

Another tea cup! $2 for both. And yes, those are all the Harry Potter books behind it, I said I had a variety of books!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Less than a week...more like four days....

....till I begin my training for the Americorps! I woke up this morning and realized that I leave on Monday morning for Chicago to begin my pre-service training. I plan on bringing not only my game face, but also my tennis shoes and some workouts to do in the hotel! :) I am hoping that there is a gym but if not, no worries. I have Crossfit workouts, yoga routines and Women's Health print outs to keep me busy in the hotel! I swear I am the only person who brings not only a bikini and sunglasses to a beach vacation, but also a jump rope! :)

Today felt extremely short. I slept in a bit and immediately got to work on gathering volunteer data for my nonprofit project. I also had a meeting with my boss about our next steps. Getting my Americorps VISTA paperwork together also took quite a while. I felt a bit chained to my office desk, so a small run felt great this afternoon! It was short, and at the gym. The weather was cold, windy and all around crummy. So I did 2.15 miles on the treadmill, but at a constant and brutal incline. I don't know if it was the intense turbo kickboxing workout yesterday or what, but it was intense. My meals were also short and sweet! Breakfast was a cinnamon raisin bagel with cinnamon and raw sugar on top, complete with peanut butter. TWO double espresso's with milk helped fuel my day. Lunch was apple cinnamon oatmeal with a banana, simple and yummy. Dinner hit the spot, but was the first "packaged" meal that I have had in a while! I had Healthy Choice pot stickers (SOOOO good!) and Progresso Hearty Tomato soup. Top that with a glass of Pinot Noir and it was a classy meal! :)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Poker, Kickboxing and Peanut Butter Oatmeal...Oh My!

Good evening everyone! I know I have been making these big grandiose statements about my long runs (7 miles today...didn't happen...) but I promise they will happen soon. I have about a week and a half before I start my job with the Americorps and have been taking advantage of my lax research assistant schedule. So the run did not happen today..alas...but kickboxing did, and boy did I get my butt handed to me. I have missed Ellen's turbo so much! I had no idea!! I ended the class out of breath, soaking wet and beaming. I know that I burned more calories and built up my stamina just as much if not more than a 7 mile run. Plus I haven't done it in a long time so my body hasn't plateaued...lovely! My arms were pretty sore today from yoga yesterday. I love working out!

Today was pretty laid back, I purchased a few new books from my favorite Goodwill on Pacific street. "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" by David Sedaris, and "Sex and the City" by Candace Bushnell. Grand total? Four dollars! A rather expensive buy for thrift stores I understand, but the Sedaris book is hardback and I just couldn't leave it there all by itself. The book reviews will follow! Jason also built a new poker table, and we had a game this evening. I actually stayed in longer than I thought I would, exciting for a novice!

My meals today were delicious! Breakfast was my trusty cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and an apple. Complete with a double espresso with calorie free caramel and milk. After Jason and I got done running around picking up the house, doing errands and getting the materials for his poker table, I was famished! We stopped by Noodles and Co. for lunch, a place I have not been for a long time. I tried the Bangkok Curry, and found it to hit the spot! It was a light coconut curry with rice noodles, black sesame and sauteed veggies. I fell in love with my veggies so much that I came home and steamed a bowl of stir fry veggies with curry, black pepper, sea salt, and olive oil. YUM! After my intense, incredible, rock your workout socks off turbo class, I had a Greek yogurt (PACKED with protein, and you should always eat protein no later than 30 minutes after a workout) with low-fat granola. I also had a giant pickle for a treat. I LOVE pickles! My post poker snack is oats with milk, brown sugar and peanut butter. It is super rich but completely yummy. I am still wanting another pickle, however....hmmm.

Goodnight everyone! :)

Dinner Party!

Good morning everyone! Today is gorgeous, in the 70s, breezy, clear...a perfect day for a long run! Since I am feeling much better than yesterday, I may take advantage of this perfect day and attempt a 7 mile run. I also am eager to go to Ellen's turbo kickboxing class at 24 Hour Fitness, a class I haven't been able to attend because I usually work Tuesday nights. We shall see, but I plan on at least going for a long walk! Yesterday I did some amazing, invigorating yoga for over an hour to help release my toxins and get rid of my headache. I'm a big fan of Excercise TV (http://www.excercisetv.tv/) for free full length workouts, and I did a 30 minute power yoga routine. I then switched to the Yoga Journal website (http://www.yogajournal.com/) for 40 minutes more of intense, yummy yoga. The Journal offers free 20 minute classes in their mutlimedia section. Even if you don't have a gym membership, there is never an excuse not to work out! :)

After grabbing coffee, cleaning a bit and running some errands, we attended a dinner party at my best friend Jean's house. It was delicious and in the company of great friends. We had gorgonzola and honey on wheat crackers with grapes for appetizers (Served with a rasberry truffle martini shot), and a lemon asparagus pasta with three types of cheese! We also had homemade garlic bread, salad and some honey pears Jason made for desert. It was a great night of friends, food and conversation!








Monday, November 8, 2010

Photos from my Dad's 50th Bday party!

Since I am so bad with taking photos of my food and social escapades, here are a few photos of my Dad's bday party.

Dad and I! Happy birthday!

My brother Justin and I. 

My favorite cousin Sarah and I!

Weekend of Fun, Friends and Rest

Hello everyone! Happy Monday! This post is coming to you from a happy, but slightly hungover blogger that had a fantastic weekend of friends, food and drinks. I am not ashamed to say that I did in fact take the entire weekend off from working out. I made sure to be active with walks and lots of activity. Friday night was a date night with my hubby, I made a yummy Autumn Mac and Cheese (recipe coming soon) and we went to Dario's for some late night drinks and frites with friends. I am going to start taking my camera with me as we do our social rendezvous, we all looked fantastic and had fun! Saturday night I worked, as did Jason, so it was a bit quieter but I did stay after my shift to split a Salmon Latke (smoked salmon on a potato pancake with a homemade horseradish sauce and capers), and sauteed veggies. It hit the spot! I also tried a delicious herbal liquor called Chartreuse. It is a liquor that is distilled in France by three monks who are also brothers, and who share the recipe in secrecy. It is a delicious, powerful, herbal liquor that tastes like Absinthe and Gin combined (but much better).

Image taken from Google Images.

My friend Nate then came to Dario's and picked me up, and we headed to Jakes for some more Chartreuse and to meet some friends. I managed to get into bed at a decent time, about 1:30. Yesterday was so much fun! I worked at Dario's from 10 to 1, then had brunch and did some thrift shopping with my friend Kate. Everyone in the Omaha area should check out Scout Dry Good and Trade on 50th and Underwood. Sunday's from noon to five they have Dollar Days, where everything in the middle of the store is a dollar. For three bucks I got a new skirt, shirt and earrings! We then headed back to Dario's for a delicious brunch. Scrambled eggs with asparagus, cheese and ham, and homemade homefries....pure heaven! Jason and I had another fun date with a hockey game (Go Lancer's!) and sushi at Blue. I had plenty of red wine, sake and a veggie sushi roll. Delicious! We then met some friends at a new bar called The Sidedoor on 33rd and Leavenworth. It was a fun night and a great way to end the weekend!

Today is going to be much more low key. I am gearing up for a run (I still feel a little hungover, so it won't be too arduous) and will be doing some work on my nonprofit grant. We are having some friends over for an Italian dinner tonight, so it should be a mellow, fun evening. More to come!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Possible Stress Reliever...Why didn't I think of this before?

Good morning everyone, last night I had a breakthrough in my cooking. Banana bread. It may not sound too difficult to you folks who have been sustaining yourselves with things beyond sandwiches and veggies, but this was huge for me! And I believe cooking may be a way to relieve some stress. Last night I found out some disturbing news about one of my workplaces, and I was a bit freaked out about my future financial situation. Instead of doing my normal "drink a bottle of wine, cry all night, take it out on Jason" thing, I went straight to the store to pick up a few ingredients and got to work. I felt better during and after baking, and the end result was delicious. Plus my whole house smelled like fresh baked banana bread. It was a mellow and soothing way to put myself to bed! :)

Today should be another typical workday. I am again going to be working on my nonprofit project for most the day. Breakfast was a generous piece of my banana bread and a honey greek yogurt. I am currently waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, and then I can officially start my work. I have another recipe from "How Sweet It Is" that I want to try out, a homemade mac and cheese bake...mmmmm....I may do a run today as well since last night I opted for a romantic dinner for my anniversary rather than turbo kickboxing. I had a healthy dinner, so it was an even trade. :) Have a great morning everyone, more to come later!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Cross Training and Anniversary Dinner!

Today was a very productive and relaxing day. The project went well today, I got plenty done and the day actually went pretty fast. I barely saw when it was lunch time! I had sauteed veggies and brown rice, along with a sweet potato. I topped everything with olive oil and pepper. A nice touch was some toasted coconut I threw on top of the concoction at the end of the sauteing. It gave a delicious, sweet flavor and yummy texture to the veggies without having to add butter or another fattening product. It also filled me up nicely, gave me plenty of energy to finish today's work. I finished the meal with some vanilla tea.


Since today is Jason and I's two year anniversary, I had just enough time to squeeze in a workout before a quick shower and a dinner date. I did Crossfit again for a weight training workout, and it was short and challenging. Every minute on the minute for 15 minutes, I "snatched" 65 pounds just once. During 30 seconds in between my snatches I alternated squats and lunges. It sounds easy but it was pretty tough! For those of you who do not know what Crossfit is, it is an Olympic weightlifting program that uses intense, short workouts to sculpt muscles and build stamina. Deadlifting, squatting, kettlebell and other moves and equipment are used quite often in this regimen. Check it out!


www.crossfit.com


After my workout, Jason and I headed up to Dario's to have a lovely anniversary dinner. I had salmon with sauteed veggies and spinach, Jason had the hanger steak and frites. For dessert, we had creme brulee. It was a lovely dinner to celebrate two years!
Good Morning! Today should be a lovely, but busy afternoon. I am going to be spending the majority of the day working on the nonprofit capacity building project with UNO. I am the research assistant for the next few weeks until I begin with the Americorps! I am so excited to begin the position at Neighborhood Restoration Specialist. Besides the fact that it is what I received my Master's degree in, and is one of the things I am passionate about, it is so close to my house that I can walk home over lunch for either a run or a nap. Walk home for lunch, for yoga...aaaaahhhh! I can't wait! I will be leaving for Chicago in the middle of this month to begin my training. So exciting! The blog will switch gears significantly during this job transition. I am excited to see how I will remain "healthy in the middle" while working more than full time. I plan to keep up my cooking and marathon training, so wish me luck!
Breakfast was a half a cinnamon raisin bagel with some of the strawberry syrup/jam I made on Monday, along with an apple and a sliced lime, and of course, a fresh pot of coffee that I will be partaking from the majority of the day!



Yesterday was a crazy, exciting day. I had errands and appointments that kept me running most of the day, but I was able to spend time with my husband in the late afternoon and get a few things done. Today is our two year anniversary by the way :) After getting him sent to work, I headed to the gym for a 5K run. I was not able to run outside today, but I find that treadmill running can be just as challenging, if not more so, because of the ability to have constant incline. I did a 3 minute on, 3 minute off incline routine for 3.10 miles. I would begin at 1, go to 2, down to 1, up to 3, down to 2, up to 4, down to 2, etc. I could definitely feel it in my calves and it felt great. It took me about 30 minutes.
Dinner was an odd mix of different things that all sound pretty weird. A Washington Gala apple with a sliced lime (this combo is primo, try slicing a lime and biting a slice after a bit of apple. The tartness is lovely!), cold rolled oats with milk, peanut butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. And creamed corn! Grazing just sounded good I guess.

After the gym, I came home and had a greek yogurt with granola for a recharge before heading down to the Slowdown music venue to hear Azure Ray. They are one of my favorite local bands who have made quite a name for themselves on Saddle Creek Records, Omaha's well-known music label. I love the Slowdown for mellow concerts like this one, it was calm and had great lighting, plus I was able to be right against the stage for prime picture taking! It was a fun, mellow night.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Scottish Salmon and Logging

Hello all! It has been a few days since I've blogged at all because of a crazy and fun weekend! We had parties nearly every night, quite a weekend for two old people! :) And a new Halloween costume every night! Friday night Jason and I were the King and Queen of Sparta (pictures soon to come) for a work party of his, Saturday I was a disgruntled Dario's employee at a never ending poker party (LOL), and Sunday morning I was a paratrooper in the Army. The funniest part about this costume was that it was my husband's when he was in the service, and he weighed exactly as much as I do now. So the uniform fit me perfectly, even the boots! Sunday night was a fantastic Halloween party downtown at a huge warehouse turned into a music venue. I went as an Eye's Wide Shut-esq masquerade ball goer. I had a fantastic red mask (again, pictures to come!) It was quite a socially productive and exciting weekend!

Amazingly, my workouts were still fantastic despite an exciting weekend. Friday I took as a rest day, the first one I had all week, Saturday was a 3.6 mile run, and I was able to incorporate it into a date with friends to watch the Husker game. My husband took off on the motorcycle to Old Chicago, and I ran there. The promise of food kept me motivated! :) I made it in perfect time, on a perfect day, and split a small veggie pizza with artichokes, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms with my husband, and rehydrated with plenty of ice water. We watched the game with a few Left Hand Stouts and Guinness pints before I went to work. Sunday was pretty hectic with work, errands and the late party, so I took a lot of walks all around our neighborhood.

Today was gorgeous, in the upper 60s and no wind. We slept in and then I made strawberry crepes for brunch. They turned out beautifully as before, but the filling was thinner, which I enjoyed more with the crepes, but Jason preferred the thicker consistency of the blackberry crepe filling I made last week. While I was making the crepes, Jason made an apple crisp from scratch that was heavenly. We were a deliriously happy homemaking, cooking couple in our socks, enjoying a delicious brunch after sleeping in late. After our meal, we decided to set out cutting a few limbs from a huge oak tree in our front yard, cutting the branches into logs for our fire pit. We also raked the entire front yard for kindling, and burned nearly the entire pile of huge branches. It took all afternoon, but it was nice to spend time outside and active. We let our kitties out to enjoy the autumn sun. After we were done, I went for a 4 mile run. It was great aside from an incredible tightness in my calves in the second mile, which did not let up until I was sprinting on the home stretch. It was still worth the outside run, who knows how many more of these beautiful days we will have. For dinner we had a neighbor over for dinner, and Jason made the Scottish Salmon that I have listed in the food section of my blog. We also paired it with homemade mashed potatoes with cabbage, steamed asparagus and a bottle of Pinot Noir. It was a lovely end to a great weekend! Tomorrow should be exciting, work at both of my jobs, cross training (deadlifting or yoga perhaps?), half priced Beligum beers and poker. Have a great night!