Running, Teaching, Eating

Busy, Crazy, Hectic, Chaotic, Fun, Exhausting...

2010-05-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

These are a few words I would use to describe the last 7 days of my life!

I can't even believe it has been a week since my last post. I know that the next ~~4 weeks~~ 6 weeks of my life are going to be even CRAZIER with all these events..
* May 26: Chutes and Ladders with the entire school
* May 28: Track and Field Day
* May 28: Twins game with Chad and Shana and Chris to celebrate our birthdays!!
* May 29: My 29th birthday on the 29th!
* May 29-May 31: Spending Memorial Weekend at the cabin with my parents and Annie and Mitch!
* June 1: START PACKING OUR HOUSE!!!
* June 4: friends wedding
* June 6: Grand Old Days
* June 8: Last day of school
* June 9-10: Packing up my ~~classroom~~ office so we can move to the new school
* June 12: Start my summer online classes
* June 13: 1 year wedding anniversary!!
* June 19??? MOVE to SHAKOPEE!!!

So I am trying to save all my energy for these next upcoming weeks. We have a lot of changes going on in our lives!!

So back to my week last week...
I tried another new recipe from my new favorite cookbook...

I know this recipe is going to be perfect when we have a family...vegetables are deceptively hidden inside!!

I cut all the vegetables and got them ready to be plunged into the Spaghetti Sauce...

By the way, this tool is fabulous!!

I got this at a Pampered Chef party. It's called the Mix N Chop.

I always have trouble making "ground" beef, rather than chunky beef. This fabulous contraption makes that job easy!!

A Pampered Chef® exclusive! Unique, beveled pinwheel blades efficiently chop and crumble foods for even cooking and seasoning. Its high-quality nylon design follows the curves of your cookware and won't scratch the surface. A soft grip and thumb rest help you comfortably grasp the handle and chop more easily. Heat-resistant to 428°F. 11". Dishwasher-safe.

Perfectly ground beef!!!!!

I don't know if I have shared this with you yet, but I have found my new food addiction...

This is my newest purchase in the cooking world. The Garlic Dipping oil and Garlic-inspired spices is...To. Die. For!!!!!!!

I have used this for so many great occasions since I purchased it. Here, I spread the mixture on both sides of bread and then baked the bread. Perfect Garlic Bread!!!

The recipe called for Muir Glen's Organic Spaghetti Sauce. I Traded Up and saved some money by getting the Rainbow Foods Roundy's brand Organic Spaghetti Sauce...

Roasted Garlic...do you see a pattern here??

This will definitely be my "go-to" recipe for Spaghetti from now on! A perfect way to get a serving of vegetables!!

For dessert, I tried a new treat!

Pretty good nutritional facts, if you ask me :)

So there's a mini-update on my life in the past week, along with a new recipe!!

I will be back tomorrow with an update on my race from this past weekend!

Hi. My name is Joanie...

2010-05-10T19:37:00.001-05:00

and I have an addiction....

After finishing the 5K yesterday, I was on such a high! I was so happy and I felt great! I wanted to do it AGAIN!!!!

I tried to resist the urge...

Source

I knew my body needed a break...

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I knew I shouldn't spend the money....

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But I just couldn't resist! I could only think of one thing...

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I had to RACE AGAIN!!!!!!!

So today, I gave in and signed up for another race...in 4 days!!!

The Minneapolis Autism 5K is this Saturday. Know what makes it even better?

It is around Lake Calhoun...one of my favorite places in Minnesota!!!

YIPPEE!!!!

And what better cause to run for (Other than Breast Cancer...wait, I already did that!) than AUTISM!!!

Autism Facts:

* 1 in 100 children are diagnosed with autism
* More than 1.5 million Americans are affected
* Every 21 minutes a child is diagnosed
Source

Like I wrote about here, I have had a close relationship with someone who has Autism.

So this race has been on my radar for awhile.

This race supports two foundations: C.A.D.E. (Children with Autism Deserve Education) and Generation Rescue.

Generation Rescue

Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists, physicians and parent-volunteers researching the causes and treatments for autism, ADHD and chronic illness and mentoring thousands of families in recovering their children. Generation Rescue provides education, medical assistance and treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders, directly improving the child’s quality of life for all families in need.

C.A.D.E. (Children with Autism Deserve Education)

The basis of C.A.D.E. is to help fund education for autism for children that don’t have the funding to obtain it. The direct teaching method known as ABA/VB has been found to be the most effective treatment for autism and is the methodology that we support. Unfortunately, many children with autism don’t have the opportunity to benefit from this effective therapy & public schools don’t have the funding to provide it. C.A.D.E would like to be able to help fund those children that don’t have the financial means for this. Children with autism deserve to obtain the most effective means of education and we will help them get it.

C.A.D.E. will also support medical interventions for children. There are many medical interventions that are being found helpful to the growing population of autism. We will help provide funding for interventions that are supported and managed by medical doctors in the Twin Cities.

C.A.D.E. is 100% a volunteer organization, from the board to the other volunteers and all event proceeds it ultimately receives will go directly to fund grants for children in the Twin Cities.

Source

What other reason do I need?

50 going on 20!

2010-05-09T21:44:00.002-05:00

Saturday night, I went to Whiskey Junction in Minneapolis to see my brother's band play a birthday party. My dad's good friend was turning 50 and they asked my brother's band to play. I haven't seen my brother's band play in awhile so I was excited to go, especially since it was so close to my house!

My dad has very active friends. He skied the Berkebeiner with Ben this winter and does a lot of biking with his other close friend.

Pretty good for old guys huh?? Just kidding dad :)

That's my brother in the green...

If you haven't heard them, check them out here..

On a break, we took some nice family pictures.

Well we tried to take a nice picture...

Thanks Drew. You can all see that clearly I am the normal one in the family:)

As I was leaving, I caught some good pictures of my parents ripping up the dance floor...

They didn't leave the bar until 2:30 in the morning....

Guess I have this to look forward to when I am in my 50's !!!

My dad may be in his 50's but he knows how to have fun, tear up the dance floor and show my mom a good time!! Thanks for making me laugh dad!

I had 2 beers and a small piece of pizza at the party and headed home around midnight.

I had to leave. I had a race the next morning.

Thankfully, I laid out all my needs for the race before I left for the concert...

The Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5K Run started at 7:30. I wanted to get there at 7:00 to walk around and not feel rushed. I was corralled into the IKEA parking lot and headed over to the mall. Nobody was there yet so I loaded up on some free stuff!

Look at all those bananas! I didn't even feel bad taking 2!

And who doesn't love free coffee?? This couldn't get any better...or could it?

Free Watermelon?????

Amazing!

There were SOOOO many people there. I have never seen so many people at a race before! It was amazing. The pride, excitement and celebration in the air was contagious!!!

I also scored a cute grocery bag, some Fiber One bars, Black beans and Kidney beans, Green Tea, a Purple Heart keychain. I was so excited about all the stuff I scored!!

I finally met up with my dad (Yes! The CRAZY dancing guy made it out to my 7:30 race...thanks dad!!!) and my two cousins. I was running with my cousin Tiffany, and my cousin Kelly had our bibs. We then made our way to the Start line.

Again I cannot even express how many people there were. After the race started, we stood around for about 2 minutes and then walked to the finish line, which took another 3 minutes. I started my stopwatch as we walked under the Start sign.

This was such a fun race! There were bands playing, cheerleaders cheering, people screaming. It was so motivational! We actually ran pretty fast, but because there were so many people, we were up and down on the sidewalk, dodging people and fire hydrants.

When we finally saw the finish line, we SPRINTED!!!!

It was a great finish! Our final time was 32 minutes and 54 seconds. This was slower than both our other 5K's but we were happy anyways. We knew it wouldn't be a race about time...it was about raising money for curing breast cancer. It was about celebrating life and surviving breast cancer...it was a great day!

I even saw a Pink limo...cool!

Here is a full shot of my whole outfit!

And all my free gear!!!

Happy Mother's Day mama!! I hope I never have to watch you go through such a horrible thing as breast cancer!!! I love you!!!

Confirmed!!

2010-05-09T17:03:00.001-05:00

After college, I got a summer job as a nanny. I found an ad in the paper for a Nanny job in Eden Prairie. I called and got an interview. They had over 100 calls on their ad.

They hired me. I stayed with these girls for 6 summers. I have also stayed with them for days at a time when their parents went out of town.

They were all in my wedding and I consider them sisters.

Kristen, the oldest is 16. She was getting confirmed this year and she asked if I would be her Sponsor. This required me to go with her to church and attend Confirmation classes with her.

Ironically enough, she was getting confirmed through the same church where I got confirmed.

Anyways...her final Confirmation ceremony was last week. It was at the Cathedral in St. Paul, which is such a beautiful church!! Reminds me of Westminster Abbey in England...

I can't believe Kristen is already 16. When I started working for her family, she was 8 years old...crazy how fast time flies when you are watching kids grow up!

Her mom says she looks more and more like me every day...:)

This is Courtney. She is 15 and is a twin. Courtney is one of the sweetest girls I know...she also has Autism. She doesn't fit most of your stereotypes for Autism. She looks me in the eye, kisses me on the lips and is pretty cuddly!

She HATES pictures though :)

I am going to my parents tonight to celebrate Mother's Day. I wanted to dig out the pictures of my confirmation to show Kristen...maybe she would think that was cool??

I'm not sure I know what cool is anymore....eek!

Beans and Corn for lunch...ick!

2010-05-08T19:40:00.000-05:00

Last week, I started cooking recipes out of my new cookbook. I have to say I have been really impressed with this cookbook. Usually, with cookbooks, I only find about 50% of the recipes to be recipes I would actually use. When I found this cookbook, I knew I found one that I could use almost all the recipes...Score!

Last Monday, I made the Chicken Tarragon Salad. I was excited to have it for lunch on Tuesday. Little did I know I would also have this salad for lunch on Wednesday! Tuesday I had the salad on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin.

On Wednesday, I decided to try Meghan's trick and toast the bread in the morning for my sandwich. It made a huge difference in my sandwich! The bread was crispy and the sandwich was awesome...it was as if I were eating at D Brians!

I also had a whole grapefruit and a side of steamed broccoli. I put a little water in the tupperware and covered it. I microwaved it for 1 minute and WHAM! Steamed broccoli at work!

It was interesting to me on this day because a coworker mentioned that I had a huge lunch...is this a huge lunch? It is a balanced lunch. But is it huge???

Later in the week, I made another recipe from this awesome cookbook...

I present to you...duh duh duh daaaaaaa!!

TROPICAL CHICKEN SALAD

Super foods: Olive oil, pineapple, yogurt, citrus, mango, strawberries, avocado

Ingredients:

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

* 2 t. extra-virgin olive oil (Bertolli)

* Refrigerated pineapple chunks (Del Monte)

* 1/3 c. fat-free plain yogurt (Horizon Organic) ***I used Fage plain Greek yogurt***

* 1 T. orange juice concentrate (Minute Maid) ***I used Tropicana***

* 4 cups packaged chopped romaine lettuce (Ready Pac)

* 1 c. refrigerated mango chunks, drained (Del Monte)

* 8 whole strawberries

* 1 avocado, sliced (Can you believe I FORGOT this piece of the recipe?? Such a shame!!)

Directions:

1. Set up grill for direct cooking over high heat. Brush both sides of chicken breast halves with olive oil and set aside. (I used our Indoor Grill)

2. Oil grate when ready to start cooking. Place chicken on hot oiled grill. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink.

3. For dressing, drain pineapple, reserving 1/3 cup juice. Measure 1 cup pineapple chunks and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/3 c. reserved pineapple juice, yogurt and orange juice. Set aside

4. On a large platter, arrange romaine chicken, pineapple chunks, mango chunks, strawberries, and avocado slices. Serve with dressing.

*** I added sugared almonds and blue cheese chunks*****

Doesn't it look pretty? Such vibrant colors!!

Had a minor kitchen accident while cooking...don't worry, it's healing....(Actually it is in such an odd spot that the cut keeps opening up...eek)

I told Chad that it felt like we were eating dinner on the beach on our honeymoon, except that we were at home in Minnesota, with 50 degree weather...come on, use your imagination!!

Is your mouth watering yet??

Mine is...

I didn't know how to serve this salad. Chad said to arrange it on the platter, take a picture and then throw it all in a bowl...I think he's starting to get on board with my food blogging :)

While I was cooking, Chad kept saying that it smelled horrible in the kitchen. He thought it was the chicken, then the burning sugar. We just couldn't figure out what smelled so HORRIFIC!!

When I went to get more Blue Cheese to add to my salad, I realized the culprit!!

Let me just tell you that this tub of Blue Cheese, courtesy of CostCo, smells like a large man, who had beans and corn for lunch, died in our kitchen.

Sorry to be graphic...but I just wanted you to fully understand how horrible this was.

I am trying, unsuccessfully, to write a major project that is due on Tuesday. I had to do a Research Project for my Reading License and it is all culminating in this major, major paper. Nothing like putting off today what you can do tomorrow...

Kiss your mother!!

My thoughts on healthy living...

2010-05-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

A blog reader sent me the following question:

I have a question to ask and I knew you would be the perfect person to ask.
I have read some of your blogs and they are very interseting, and informative! With a wedding coming up and needing to lose closse to 100lbs do you have any suggestions to get on the healthy wagon? Especially anything that helps as an appetite suppressant? I am hungry ALL the time! My husband wants me to get on a diet that his boss told him about where you don't eat any grain. Have you heard of that, and would that maybe be a good idea?

I have a hard time giving advice on these types of things, because I am on my own healthy journey and finding out things as I go.

There are a ton of great things to start with...here is what I did to start.

1. I joined the gym and found 1 class I really enjoyed. I wrote it into my calendar to go to at least 1 class. I made sure that I never missed this class. I planned my week around this class. I also found a friend to go to classes with me. We try to keep each other accountable and get each other to go when we don't want to go...

2. I started running. I have heard so many people say, "I can't run." or "I can only run for 2 minutes without stopping." I said these same things. But I read about the Jeff Galloway method. He believes that if you run/walk long enough, you will be albe to run further without stopping. I started running for 2 minutes and then walking for 1 minute. I did this for 30 minutes. Within a month, I was running 5 minutes, walking 1 minute. This continued to help improve my distance and speed.

Along with running, I signed up for a 5K. I knew if I had something to work towards, I would continue running. I also told everyone. This way, I had to be accountable for this decision to run and have a reason to keep running.

I signed up for Runners' Magazine, bought a few cute running outfits and started to read about running. This really helped motivate me to become a runner...which I don't know if I am yet :)

3. I kept a daily log of what I ate and what exercise I did. I didn't use a notebook but I used the calendar on my phone. I always have this with me and it was easy to track on there anywhere or anytime. I did not count calories. I just wanted to see everything I was putting into my body.

4. When I planned my week or my day, I planned my breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and my afternoon snack. When I left the house, I had these things with me. This way, I wasn't snacking on things around school or junk food from convenience stores. I googled and searched food blogs for good low-calorie, filling snacks. Some of my favorites are:
   * Laughing cow cheese and 7 triscuits
   * 2 graham crackers with peanut butter
   * 20 almonds
   * celery with peanut butter
   * carrot sticks (not baby carrots)
My preferences for snacks are always changing but I found it is really good to keep a good list of low-calorie snacks around the house so I have another go-to snack idea.

5. The thing that got me started on this journey and gave me the motivation is reading other healthy living blogs. It is amazing to read the many stories of women who are changing their lives 1 small change at a time! It shows me every day that if all these women can make these great changes, so can I. These are some of my favorites:
-Healthytippingpoint.com
-IowaGirlEats.com
-EatLiveRun.com
-TheFoodieInTheCity.com
-FitThisGirl.com
-PriorFatGirl.com

You can find more of my favorites on my own blog.

I also get great recipe ideas from these blogs. The ladies I read have been on their own healthy journey so they have also done a lot of research and experiments with what works.

6. I gave up alcohol for lent. I did not have a glass of wine at home for 1.5 months. I lost close to 5 pounds in that month. I attribute a lot of that to having no wine at home or drinking at happy hour. Now, I drink less at home because I know how much of a difference that made for me.

*** As far as a no-grain diet, I haven't heard much about this. I knew that if I was going to make a change, it would have to be a life-change. I can't give up grains for life, I can't give up sweets for life, I can't give up ice cream for life, so I am not going to give it up.

However, I do eat these things in moderation. I make it a goal to have as many vegetables and fruit in a day as possible. I try to have both these things in every meal (breakfast is really hard for me to eat vegetables!!)

*I totally understand your concerns about always being hungry. I felt and still feel like that a lot. I have realized that if I don't have a balanced, filling breakfast, my WHOLE day is shot. If I miss breakfast, I am always trying to fill my stomach.

I eat a Chobani greek yogurt with granola each morning.

I had regular yogurt today and it was like water...Greek Yogurt is so thick and filling! A 1/2 cup of granola is the perfect addition to make a fabulous breakfast!!

Foodie bloggers are crazy about oatmeal. I haven't perfected this yet to make it my perfect breakfast, but it is very popular!! Another good way to help you stay full for a good 2 hours.

Don't feel like you can't snack throughout the day. But have planned snacks and snack times. If a serving of triscuits is pieces and 100 calories, count out 7 pieces and close the box and put it away. NEVER bring the container with you to the couch, or the kitchen table, or the kitchen counter. Take 1 serving out and put the box away!!! I look at the Nutritional facts a lot! How much is one serving? How many calories in one serving??

I have also started looking at the ingredients. Stay away from: High Fructose Corn Syrup and TransFat.

(I had pancakes the other day and had 2 different syrups in my fridge. One that I had grown up eating and a new, organic one. The one from my childhood had High Fructose Corn Syrup and I just couldn't bring myself to eat it...I threw it away!)

Like I said, I am not an expert or extremely knowledgeable in this area, but I know what has helped me.

Find your own ways to stay motivated and accountable. It has to be a life change, and not just a "for now" change...

Good luck and let me know how it goes!!!!!

A Change of plans...

2010-05-04T20:28:00.002-05:00

While waiting for Chad to get home, my brother posted the following question on facebook:

Drew Preiner Can anyone recommend a good local organic eatery between bloomington an downtown?

He got a few answers: Bad Waitress, French Meadow and the Good Earth. I suggested Common Roots, which is about 10 blocks from where I live. Chad and I have been there once before, but I know that the menu changes monthly so it was my first recommendation.

Wait a minute...my brother, who is home so seldom is going to a restaurant down the street from me? I had to call and see what was up...why didn't I get to see him too?

It ends up he was going with my mom, so I changed out of my running gear and headed out to meet them and crash their date. I was planning on making dinner for Chad and me so I thought I would just go say hi. On my way there though, Chad texted me that he wouldn't be home until after 8...woops. Change in plans!!

So I invited myself to have dinner with my mom and brother...fortunately they allowed me to, if only I didn't talk (Directions from my joking brother).

I am definitely going to miss this place when we move...

Common Roots is a restaurant where "we serve good food made from scratch- using high quality, local, organic, and fair-trade ingredients." (Taken from their "About Us" brochure). They have a "strong commitment to provide support for local farmers, operate in an environmentally responsible way, serve as a community meeting place, and pay a living wage and benefits to our employees."

They even have their own garden in back!

I walked up to the counter and perused the menu. It had completely different options than the last time I was there. I was excited because I saw a few things I would like to order. I will have to go back this May before the menu changes again!

I decided to go with the Fish Tacos. They came with a mango salsa, pickled onions and mixed greens...when I got back to the table, I asked what my mom and brother ordered...I wasn't surprised when they said they also ordered the fish tacos. We tend to order the same things at restaurants....

My mom and brother also ordered the Shrimp Skewers as an appetizer.

The fish tacos were great! The fish fell apart and the toppings made the taco! Each taco came with two thin tortillas, but I ended up eating the insides with a fork instead...too good to eat with the tortilla!

For dessert, what do we Minnesotan food lovers order? Chicken Wild Rice Soup of course!!!

Actually, I ordered Fish Tacos to-go for Chad and a piece of this gargantuan Chocolate/Strawberry cake.

Look how big it looks next to the wine glass!!

I only had 2 bites...it was pretty dry.

I had to get a picture with my mom...

It took a few tries...

We were laughing so hard because I put my hand on his leg...forgot I wasn't sitting next to my husband!

This was cool...

It was a good change of plans...and Chad still got his meal brought by me. He enjoyed the fish tacos too!!

Now I need to stretch and do my Physical Therapy exercises for my shins...

Good-night Y'all!!!

I leave you with this quote from Common Roots:

"Everyone should have access to good food from farmers they know, and we work in the kitchen and throughout our community to make that happen...Food and community go hand in hand..."

I think I can, I think I can...I KNOW I can!

2010-05-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't run in quite awhile...like I don't remember the last time I ran longer than 5 minutes :(

I have been doing cardio at the club and going to my Monday night Bodyworks classes. I am running the Race for the Cure 5K on Sunday so I told myself this weekend that I had to fit in at least 3 runs this week! Today was run #1.

I knew it was going to be ugly, so of course I was putting it off. I was trying to convince myself not to go. It was too windy, or it was going to rain, or I was too tired. But I put on my new favorite song, Naturally by Selena Gomez, and played it super loud on my computer.

This gave me the motivation to get changed and get out the door!

I decided to take it easy since I hadn't run in awhile. I walked when I felt like it...but unfortunately, I had a piece of banana bread right before I left work and had a major gut ache from that...I kept on though.

Statistics

Avg Speed:: miles/h
Total Distance:: 2.13 miles
Estimated Time:: 0h 22m 11s
Start Elevation:: 866.14 ft
End Elevation:: 866.14 ft
Minimum Elevation:: 849.74 ft
Maximum Elevation:: 872.70 ft
Elevation Ascent:: 45.93 ft
Elevation Descent:: 45.93 ft
Track Points:: 11
Weight:: lbs
Activity Type:
Estimated Calories:: 234.84; I tried a million times to upload the map of my route but I couldn't figure it out...oops.; Tonight, I am making Tropical Chicken Salad from this same cookbook. Chad got a Customer Service Award this morning so I decided to make him a congratulatory dinner!!; Since I hate posts with no pictures, here are some pics from the best day of my life to tide you over until the pics from tonight's dinner...

Manic Monday...

2010-05-03T22:16:00.002-05:00

The crazyness of the weekend just carried over to my Monday. Today was a crazy day, to say the least!!

We had a sub in the building today so the kids were...a little off :) I was happy to bring them out to the bus...

Although some of these kids don't look very happy...don't worry, they are just putting on a face :)

After work, I headed home to plan my meals for the week. I am using Sandra Lee's cookbook for three of the recipes.

I made my grocery list and laid on the couch reading my new book:

At 6:30, I changed and left for my Bodyworks class. After going to this class the first time, I vowed to never miss a class. Betty is amazing!! But sometimes I do think she is the devil :)

The only problem is I don't get home from her class until 8:30, plus tonight I had to stop at the grocery store and didn't get home until 9:00.

I quickly unpacked the groceries and got to work on our lunches for tomorrow:

Chicken-Tarragon Salad

Super Foods: Yogurt, Walnuts and Onion

1/2 c. fat free mayo

1/4 c. fat free plain yogurt (I used Fage)

2 t. chopped fresh tarragon

1 t. poppy seeds

2 pouches chunk chicken breast meat, rinsed and drained

1 c. seedless red grapes, cut in half

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

1/4 c. chopped red onion

1. For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together mayo, yogurt, tarragon and poppy seeds.

2. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, grapes, and celery.

3. Add walnuts and dressing. Stir to fully combine.

This was supposed to be lunch for tomorrow but Chad couldn't wait. He gave it 2 thumbs up!!

I am looking forward to having this for lunch tomorrow!!

I always have a problem deciding what to have for dinner when I go to a 7 pm class and get home at 9:00. Tonight, I made a feta and spinach omelette.

It was a perfectly light dinner, which hopefully won't leave me with a gut-ache tomorrow morning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Head on over to Alexa's blog, My Tale of Two Cities to check out her walking club!!

A wild and crazy weekend!!

2010-05-02T20:27:00.002-05:00

Wow. What a busy weekend! I went into this weekend with NO plans, but it ended up being a really fun weekend!!

Friday night, I went with my cousin Annie to the Fine Line for a concert. Her boyfriend's good friend was playing and Chad had to do homework so I decided to tag along. Plus, one of Drew's friends, Cedar Avenue, was playing. It was bound to be a fun-filled night!

Annie and Mitch picked me up and we headed downtown!

I was worried about the cover because usually the Fine Line is pretty expensive, but it was only 5 bucks...score!!

The first band to play was Kelly Jo Mitchell. They were pretty good. It was basically a girl and her piano, with an occasional guitar add-in. I saw someone in college like this...pretty laid back and mellow. The lead singer did have a pretty voice though...

It was about this time that we realized, at 8:45 that the band we were going to see wasn't playing until 11:00 p.m. Luckily, there were some other good bands playing that night too!

The next band up was Cedar Avenue. My brother said they were good friends of theirs so I was excited to see them. They were really good! I really like the addition of a woman's voice to an all-boy band :)

Oh I forgot to talk about, or take pictures of Select Three. Annie REALLY liked them :) We decided they were a little like the Jonas Brothers...or a lot like them. They won Fox 9's Battle of the Bands in 2009. I think they were all 13 or 14 years old...

Here is Dan Rodriguez and Casey Carlson. She was on American Idol and is super cute. I texted this picture of her to try to get Chad to come to the show...

It didn't work. He just had too much homework :(

It was a great night! I had so much fun and got to see some really great musicians! I will definitely be checking out Cedar Avenue and Don Rodriguez again! I did, however, have WAY too much wine.

Nothing a Green/Red Monster can't fix!

My Green Monster had:

* 2 handfuls of Spinach

* 1 cup of milk

* 1/2 banana

* 1 cup frozen strawberries

* 1/2 cup of granola

Not going to lie...I totally ate this in bed while watching Mtv. I felt like I was in college again...laying in bed until 11:00 eating my breakfast and surfing the Internet.

Well I did finally get up and get dressed. I was going to walk around Calhoun, but once I got in the car, I wanted to see FLOWERS! I decided to head to the Arboretum. I have never walked around there but Bel always talks about how beautiful it is!!

I stopped at my parents' because I was going to pick up my mom and stop by the lot on the way to the Arboretum. She was on her way home from the gym so I spent some time with my puppy...

My mom and I headed to the lot/house. We are transitioning to calling it the house because there is actually the start of a house there!! YEEEEEEE!!

I didn't end up walking around the Arboretum...it was sooooooooo windy!!

Saturday night, Chad and I went to our friend Matt and Kelly's. We haven't seen them since their baby was born 6 months ago...wow!

Matt and Kelly prepared a fabulous dinner: potatoes and ribs on the grill and a fresh, tasty salad! Craisins, sugared almonds, gorgonzola cheese and Poppy Seed dressing are my new favorite salad add-ons!

Chad enjoyed playing with the dog...he tried to teach him the "treat on the nose" trick, but Buca was not having it! He did every trick he knew: sit, lay down, high-five. He was so confused...poor Buca.

Sunday morning, we woke up and cleaned the whole house. It was atrocious! I hope our next house isn't so dusty!

After cleaning, we headed to the May Day festival at Powderhorn. We have never been to this festival but I have heard it's not something to miss....

We enjoyed a corn dog, cheese curds and Chad had a Gyro...

A perfect end to a perfect weekend...who doesn't love ice cream cones??

Obviously it's Pes-Crea-Marinara sauce!!

2010-04-30T17:51:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, at about 6:00 a.m., I woke up and realized my husband was getting out of bed. He walked into the kitchen and turned on some lights. His alarm wasn't on. He didn't have to be to work early...what gives??

My curiosity caused me to wake up...grrrrr. "WHYYYYY are you up SOOO early??"

His answer? He just COULDN'T sleep anymore...I just didn't understand.

I have NEVER had this problem. Maybe after sleeping till 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday. But I have never woke up at 6 am on a work day because I couldn't sleep anymore.

I know...he is weird :)

But I did reap the rewards from his decision. He made me breakfast:)

(This picture is horrible! My new camera was charging so I had to use my old one...yuck!)

I enjoyed my breakfast with a POM-mocktail. This time, I used the Lime LaCroix. It had a great taste! Chad even liked it1

This is one of my new favorite drinks :)

That night, I decided to treat Chad to dinner. He was supposed to be done with work at 5 so I expected him home at 5:30. I had already worked out and been to the physical therapist by 5:309 so I was hungry!

I decided to use my leftover lunch of pasta and broccoli from Kowalski's as the base. (Have you ever gone there for lunch? They have a great lunch bar...salad, soup, pasta and sometimes tacos!)

I baked two chicken breasts and sprinkled them with Spicy Garlic seasoning.

I steamed green beans and added feta cheese almonds...one of my favorite combinations!!

While at Kowalski's, I created my own pes-crea-marinara sauce. Pesto with Cream and Marina sauce...all my favorites combined! It looks gross but it's really tasty! I poured this over the pasta and the green beans!

Such great taste!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

We have a very boring weekend...Chad is in his last week of his current online class so he has a TON of work to do. We only have a few things scheduled, plus it's supposed to be Gross tomorrow...boo

* I am going to the Fine Line with Annie and her boyfriend, Mitch tonight. We are seeing Cedar Avenue and Dan Rodriguez...should be fun!

* I am going to a Body Works class tomorrow at LAFitness...want to join me?

* We are driving down to our house in Shakopee. We hear the framing went up this weekend...it will be fun to see the progress.

* I am going to Southdale Library to hear a speaker from the Dyslexia Association about Reading Reform in Minnesota.

What are you doing this weekend?

How do you spend rainy Saturdays??

Spontaneous Combustion!

2010-04-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

My whole family just walked out the door...it was a little case of spontaneous combustion!!

I walked around Calhoun with my friend Kali today. We were going to walk/run but we had both exercised yesterday and were very sore!

I took a Bodyworks Plus Abs class from Betty last night. Let me just say that she is the devil! She pushes me further than I thought I could be pushed. She has me do moves and circuits I didn't think possible...but they are! I leave the class a big mess of sweat, feeling like I can conquer the world, after I take a 3 hour nap!

Back to my walk...

The walk was nice..it is so fun to people watch when we are walking. You see such a random variety of people...kids, adults, senior citizens, men with shirts off, women with no clothes, women with sweaters and jeans and hats...it's insane!! But the weather was perfect...we could have used a little wind because the bugs were out for a kill!!

We were swatting at them the first 20 minutes of the walk...we both probably swallowed/inhaled at least 5 bugs each...gross!

I invited Kali over for dinner along with my brother, Drew, who is home from touring with his band. Kali ended up not coming over but of course Drew was ready for some of my homemade cooking!

When he got there, my dad called. Of couse he invited himself over...and we had to call mom. SO it ended being a Spontaneous Combusion of Preiners at the Raiches!

Too bad Chad had to do homework at another location :( No way would he have gotten any work done with these hooligans around!!

I told them dinner was almost ready but they had to dig in to the rotisserie chicken my mom brought over...

you would think they hadn't eaten in months the way they attacked that chicken...

I was planning on making 2 recipes from my new cookbook...do you have this cookbook??

Get this...a picture for every recipe...ahhhhhhhhhh!! And she also gives the brand to buy for the healthiest options. Every recipe also has a list of the Super Foods included in the recipe...

I decided to make the Southwest Chicken Pizza...Super foods: Beans, tomatoes, onion

Ingredients:
* Olive oil Cooking spray, Mazola Pure
* 1 package pizza crust mix, Betty Crocker
* 1/4 c. organic blackbeans, rinsed, drained and smashed, Eden (I used Trader Joes black beans)
* 1/2 c. hot water
* 1/2 c. tequilla-and-lime flavored salsa, Newmans Own ( I used a Black bean and corn salsa)
* 1/3 c. Mexicorn, drained, Green Giant
* 1/4 c. shredded fat-free Monterey Jack Cheese with peppers, Lifetime (I couldn't find this so I just used the next ingredient)
* 2 Tb. shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, Sargento
* 1 c. premium chunk chicken breast, rinsed and drained, Tyson (I used shredded Rotisserie Chicken)
* 2 Tb. finely chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 Tb. finely chopped red onion

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. ( I used a pizza stone and I heard you didn't have to use cooking spray with these so I didn't...USE IT....the pizza stuck).
2. In a medium bowl, combine pizza crust with beans. Stir in hot water until mixture is well moistened. Beat 20 minutes to form dough. Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
3. Using floured fingers, press dough into a 12-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Spread salsa evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with Mexicorn, Monterey Jack cheese, Mexican cheese blend, chicken, cilantro, and onion.

4. Bake pizza in preheated oven in 15-17 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Per serving: 273 calories, 3 g total fat.

The pizza didn't look so good in the oven. The crust looked really thin and dry.

But it was....FABULOUS!!! Such good taste, spice and texture! It was DELICIOUS...there you go Drew!

I made sure to save some for the hubby...I knew he would LOVe this recipe!!

I also made a salad from this cookbook... pretty basic, common recipe.

Chicken and Baby Spinach with Raspberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

* 1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries (I used 1.5 half packages of raspberries)

* 1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette, Newman's Own

* 3/4 t. sugar

* 8 c. packaged baby spinach, Ready Pac

* 1 c. sliced cucumber.

* 1/3 c. thinly sliced red onion

* 1 1/3 c. purchased cooked chicken breast cut into strips, Tyson ( I did not put chicken in the salad since I had it on the pizza)

* 1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese, Athenos

* 1/4 c. chopped pecans, Blue Diamond

* Ground black pepper, McCormick

I DID not use their dressing...I gave my family the option of choosing their dressing from my selection...

1. For dressing, place 1/2 c. raspberries, salad dressing and sugar in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the remaining 1 c. raspberries, spinach, cucumber, onion, and half of the dressing.

3. Divide mixture among 4 chilled plates. Toss chicken strips with 2 Tb. of the dressing. Divide among the plates. TOp with feta cheese and pecans. Season with pepper.

This was a great, easy, quick meal for a family of 4. Now let's see what the husband thinks...

Good night!

1 down...? to go

2010-04-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

I think I am going to have many wedding showers this Spring/Summer. Today was the first of many...

My cousin Katie is getting married July 10 and her family shower was today. Let's just say that the Preiner Women know how to throw a party...plenty of food, games and conversations!!

I didn't get a good picture of the bride. I always forget the most important pictures!!!

First, we played some games. We started with making wedding dresses out of toilet paper...(if only men knew what went on at these things)

In between games, I snacked on some veggies and Multi-grain crackers. These crackers are SOOOO good! Crispy and flavorful!!

When it was time to eat, there were many options!!

One of my family favorites----Chicken Lasagna! So creamy and yummy!!

Finally...drum roll please...

My aunt Terrie made these FABULOUS mini cakes!

She used a Tomato can to bake these mini cakes...and get this: They are multi-layers!!

Strawberry cake

I had to sample the Lemon/Raspberry cake....

I leave you with my cousin Emily thoroughly enjoying her cake...

Today's fun activities reminded me so much of my own shower, which was almost a year ago. Such fun times!!

Roasting Vegetables

2010-04-25T21:36:00.000-05:00

I have gotten a few questions about how I roast my vegetables. It is super easy!

First, I coat a broiling pan in nonstick spray. Then I lay the vegetables on the pan. I love roasting broccoli, green beans and even BRUSSEL SPROUTS…NOT a fan by the way

I spray the vegetables with olive oil using my mister!

I like to sprinkle the vegetables with my favorite seasoning of the week...

This time I used the new spices I got from Marshalls...they have great cooking accessories!!

Check the vegetables often, because depending on how crispy or soft you like your veggies, you may need to leave them in between 10-20 minutes. Chad likes them really crispy and I like them softer...

This night, Chad was making chicken and potatoes on the grill. He LOVES making the potatoes in foil boats…

All together now…

I also had the last glass of this great wine! I shared the first part of this wine with my cousin Annie, who is a middle sister. I brought this bottle to her house in her honor ☺

Wish they made a bottle named “Oldest Sister”

Earth Day!

2010-04-24T20:29:00.001-05:00

My brother's band Roster McCabe organized an Earth Day cleanup at a local Minneapolis park. I thought this would be a great way to get some of my students involved in Earth Day. I convinced the 3rd and 5th grade teacher to bring their class. We had to take the city bus (and a transfer) to a park by the U of M. We were SOOO nervous about this transfer!! Imagine putting 28 kids on a city bus, taking them off, walking to another stop, waiting for that bus and getting on a bus again. It was just chaotic and stressful!

But the kids had sooo much fun! They didn't really understand why we were going to a park and what we were going to do, but once they got there, they all got really into it!!

I LOVE this picture!!! They were so excited because there was so much garbage on the train tracks. If you look in the distance, you can see a train approaching.

After we collected garage, we let the kids play for awhile. It was a beautiful day and the kids loved playing on a "new" playground!!

Some of the kids don't look very happy in this picture. It isn't easy getting 28 pre-teens to sit for a picture! Still, we had a great day!!

Hodge Podge...

2010-04-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

This is a hodge-podge of a post! I tried to post this earlier in the week but I have had some troubles uploading pictures from my iPhoto to the blog...grrrr!!

Earlier this week, I met Chad at Bunny's in St. Louis Park for a quick dinner. We sat outside, but had to move around a bit because it was SOOO smokey out there...yuck!!

I wasn't super hungry so I decided to order the Healthy Burger Platter...a patty with cheese, broccoli and fruit. I didn't realize that "a patty" meant no bun, but that was ok. It was still really good!!

Chad ordered a pizza....

I also had 2 Coors Lights....

My mom came to visit!! She was at a yoga class close to Bunny's.

Later in the week, Chad made some fabulous meals! He really gets into grilling and loves to throw anything on the grill! We got a Grilling Bible for our wedding and he refers to that frequently for new ideas. He swears that he doesn't use recipes though :) That's my job!

I have LOVED roasting veggies! Later on, I will show you how I roast my veggies. It is so easy and the veggies come out perfectly!

After dinner, Chad made S'mores.

I felt like I was at the cabin!

I am ready for summer weekends at the cabin!!

My favorite dinner!!!!

2010-04-19T21:11:00.002-05:00

I was feeling pretty sore yesterday and today fro my 5K on Saturday (read my recap here). My calves feel like they have bowling balls in them.

I still wanted to run today though. It was SUCH a beautiful day here and I just wanted to be outside!

I ran to Hamline after work to pick up my Case Study that I turned in 2 weeks ago. It was a HUGE project that took me forever to do. I got 100/100!!! I was soooo excited and my professor's comments were great!! This put a HUGE smile on my face. :)

So I hurried home, grin and all, and changed into my running clothes.

I usually plan my run using LiveStrong.com. But today, I just wanted to run, without a plan!!

I set out, but my calves REALLY hurt. I kept going even though I was in pain. It was such a beautiful day, and it was so nice to run without a plan. I looked at all the houses around me and enjoyed the views!

I got home and decided to "recover" with my foam roller. Do you have one of these? YOU. MUST. GET. ONE. OF. THESE!!! They are fabulous!!!

I got this Foam Roller when I fell down the stairs a few years ago. But I saw Kath at KathEats.com use hers on her shins and I decided to try it!

I used the roller on the front of my shins and on the backs of my calves...

It felt sooooo good!!

My physical therapist at TRIA told me that if my shins hurt in one spot, then she would be worried about a stress fracture. I was a little worried today because I could pinpoint an exact spot on BOTH shins where I had pain...

Here.....

and here...

I see her tomorrow so I will share this with her...

Tesa always lays on my yoga mat when I bring it out...she is also laying on my "homework" from my physical therapist.

Cat owners: Is this weird??

On to dinner:

I told Chad this morning that I was going to make Chicken Stir Fry...my favorite!!

I sauteed Red Pepper flakes in Sesame Oil.

I added 1 lb. of chicken breast.

I cut up: 1 head of broccoli, 1/2 green pepper, small onion, 2 handfuls of green beans, 1 handful of pea pods.

I used Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice...I LOVE this stuff! Pop the bag in the microwave for 3 minutes and it's done!! So easy!!

All together now...

Dessert was one of these babies....

My new favorite treat (for this week)

We just finished last night's episode of Brothers and Sisters.

I am off to read Jodi Piccoult's new book and get ready for the last day of MCA testing tomorrow...

Woot Woot!!

Late post...

2010-04-18T21:20:00.000-05:00

I know I know I know. It has been almost 2 WEEKS since my last post. It doesn't seem like that much time has passed since I wrote. The last 2 weeks have flown by.

We had MCA tests last week. If you live in MN and don't know anything about the MCA tests, what rock have you been living under? Just kidding :)

It's basically all we talk about as teachers (as sad as that is). The 3rd-5th graders had 4 segments of Reading and Math to take. Because we don't want to overwhelm or burn out our students, we spread the tests out over 4-6 days. This is good for the kids, however it messes up the rest of the schedules for the whole school. So I, (along with the kids and staff) am very excited for these MCA's to be over!!

Only 2 more days next week and we are done!! I am just ready to finish off the last 7 weeks of school with a bang!! I am working REALLY hard trying to get all the 2nd-5th graders up to grade level. This is a humongous task!!

Along with work being busy and crazy, work on our house has finally started!!

I didn't want to say much before I knew this was for sure...but we are building a house in Shakopee!!!

I would like to explain everything that is going on in these pictures, but I have no idea...but it looks like stuff is really starting to come together!!

I guess I get this guy with the house....

So this week we drove down to Shakopee to pick out some of the exterior things: shingles, shanks, siding, windows and the door. We will be moving in at the end or middle of June..CANNOT WAIT!!!!

Another thing I have been busy with is my running. I ran 3 times last week, 3.1 miles each time. Today, I ran my 2nd 5K.

The Challenge Obesity 5K was super fun!! Unfortunately, I didn't have the audience I had last time (Chad and my mom both had to work) but thankfully, my dad saved the day and came to cheer me on.

It was a bit chilly in the morning...

But after my first lap, I gave my jacket to my dad. Thanks dad!!

My dad offered to run with me, but I really wanted to do this run on my own!

Last race, my dad had to convince me to keep running when I was so tired!

I wanted to try this on my own.

Near this point, I REALLY wanted to walk. I was getting so tired and just wanted to slow down and walk. But I kept on going!!

I didn't give up or walk! I YELLED at myself (in my head), "YOU WILL NOT STOP. KEEP RUNNING!!"

I guess it worked! I crossed the finish line 2 WHOLE minutes before my last race. I was ecstatic!!!

Want to know a secret??

I saw some of the Minneapolis Fitness bloggers there...Mary from Fit This Girl,

The week in recipes...

2010-04-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

So I picked 4 different recipes to try this week: 2 for dinner and 2 for lunch. I chose each recipe from one of the blogs I read.
Dinner:
* Santa Fe Casserole from Caitlin at HealthyTippingPoint.com
* Roasted Chicken Vegetable Quinoa from Iowa Girl Eats

Lunch:
* Pasta Salad from Tina at CarrotsNCake.com
* Vegetable Pasta Salad from Kath at KathEats.com

Tonight I was excited to make Caitlin's Santa Fe Casserole. I had to pick up some of the ingredients, but ti doesn't take much!! I have 2 minutes left until the buzzer goes off and then I get to dig in...which I had someone to share this great meal with...boo

I sipped on a Pom-ocktail. Pom juice with a little sparkling water...tastes a little different but once I got used to it, I really liked it! Refreshing!!

I am learning to get all my ingredients ready BEFORE I start cooking...geez. It took me long enough to figure that out :)

I also put some fruit together...Look how HUGe those strawberries look compared to those tiny raspberries!!

WARNING: Casserole will look soupy when you take it out. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes and it will start to look normal. I topped my bowl with a little more cheese!

Success!!!

WARNING: Cheesy post ahead!!!

2010-04-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter!!

I had a great day with my family. We went to Joan of Arc church, which I never realized is right down the street from my house! The music was great, and even featured Robert Robinson! If you have never heard of him, check him out here... I have seen him many times with Lorie Line. I literally got goosebumps. His voice just makes me want to shut my eyes and listen all day!!

My parents had some of my dad's siblings and kids over. It was a great time! There was a TON of food!! (I don't have any pictures because my SD card has gone haywire! BOO!) I made a French Toast Casserole.

French Toast Casserole

Virginia Willis, BON APPETIT,Y’ALL

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 loaf brioche or challah bread, sliced into 1 1/2 inch slices (I used cinnamon loaf bread)

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Confectioners’ sugar for accompanimen

Pure Maple Syrup

• Combine the melted butter and sugar in the bottom of a baking dish.

• Make a nice even layer of the mixture to cover the entire area.

• Arrange the bread slices on top, squeezing them in place.

• Whisk the eggs, add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans.

• Pour over the bread, letting it soak in.

• Top with pecans and cover with plastic wrap. (The casserole will not look real moist, don’t worry I promise it will be so when you eat it)

• Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.

• Set out at room temperature for 20 minutes before popping into a hot oven set to 350 degrees.

• Bake until lightly browned and set, 35 to 40 minutes.

• Remove and slightly cook if you can wait a few minutes.

• Serve hot or warm with sorghum, cane or maple syrup.

Serves 8

It was a big hit! All the ladies wanted the recipe!!

My mom had a few egg dishes and her fabulous cheesy potatoes...YUMMY!!!

I had to spend Easter solo...because Chad left yesterday morning for a 5 day fishing trip.

WARNING: Cheesy part coming now!!

I am fine with Chad going on a fishing trip, but I don't like being at the house alone, and I really miss him when he is gone. He makes quite a presence when he is here :)

I had to babysit Friday night, and it ended up being a late night (Like 1:30 a.m.). By the time I got home, Chad was asleep. He was getting picked up around 4 in the morning. So my hopes of spending time with him before he left flew out the window.

Fortunately, I came home to this:

Chad knew how sad I was that he was leaving, especially that he was going to be gone for a holiday. So he got me flowers for Easter...I can't tell you the last time I got flowers :)

There was also a paper grocery bag stapled shut. What could be in here?? There were 10 packets of flowers/vegetables and 10 temporary pots. He told me later that he knew if I had a project, it would keep me busy when he was gone :)

Luckily, we had a good cuddle session before he left 3 hours later. He showered me with kisses and hugs before he went...

I got up the next morning and was happy to find some surprises in the house...

I told you it was going to be cheesy...

Don't tell Chad I showed you this...he doesn't like people to know how sweet he is :)

I go back to work tomorrow...UGH!!!!!

Productive Spring Break

2010-04-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

So I am sad my Spring Break is over, but I am happy that I had such a productive week.

Fri-Mon Spent time at the cabin with Chad: 2 mile run/walk
Mon. Had lunch at King's and a walk with cousin Kelly: 3 mile walk
Tue. Had lunch with Shana at Broder's and dinner with Andrea at Cantina #1
Wed. Walked around Calhoun with Kali: 3 mile walk
Th. Had lunch w/Chad at SmashBurger and Happy Hour at the View w/Annie: 2 mile run

Friday went to the Firm for a Circuit Training class: 1 hr. workout
Sat. Walked to Butter for breakfast: 1 mile walk

Here are some pictures of my walk and breakfast this morning...Enjoy the beautiful day!!

Firming up at The Firm!

2010-04-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

My good friend, Kali works at The Firm, a gym in Minneapolis. She sent me a text message yesterday, inviting me to take a class before I went back to work. I am not going to lie: I was SCARED!! I know the classes there are intense and wild. I have seen the story Perk at Play did on Doug's classes.

EEEKKK!

This is my year to try new things right??

Even as I got closer to the gym, I was still considering turning around and going home. But I told Kali I would go so I couldn't bail. I would be fine, right??

As I climbed the stairs, I could hear the music pumping, could feel the bass throbbing! I tried to act like I knew where I was going...

There's Kali!!

I got there 25 minutes early (I didn't want to be late!!) so I got to hang out with Kali, meet some of her friends and some of the "locals." Doug, the instructor, even came over and told me to just have fun!!

Doug came into class, strutting his stuff in a black speedo and tight white tank top. I was thinking to myself, "This is going to be awesome!!" There were all ages and sizes in this class. If they can do this, so can I, right??

Let's just say, I thought I was going to pass out. This class had some of the same moves of Body Works plus Abs, but on Speed. Everything was high-energy, screaming, yelling, very dramatic moves.

See those boxes? Yes they tried to convince me to lift that above my head...Yah right? Have you seen how clumsy I am?? I decided to just use weights...

Here is me after class. See how wet my shirt is? I look like a dying person...I told Doug he didn't need to put a shirt on...he thought otherwise.

Kali made me a smoothie and I headed home. I had a killer salad on the brain.

But first, Kali gave me my way early birthday present...I told her earlier this week I wanted a headband like hers...

Isn't it cute??

I could not WAIT to dig into my salad for lunch! I was starving!!!

But look what I found??

I just bought this bag of lettuce on Monday and it was already turning green...No fear. I just picked out the brown stuff and continued on my way.

I also picked up veggies from the salad bar on Monday to add to my monster salads. Doesn't this look divine??

Ingredients: carrots, cucumbers, pepper jack cheese, craisins, red onion, red, yellow and green peppers, peas. SOOOOO good and fresh and wonderful and yummy!!

I also had half of this giant grapefruit...

Perfect lunch!!!

I am off to the shower and heading to our lot in Shakopee to see if any progress has been made.

Pictures and story about lot to come later!!

Enjoy the day!!

A Special Visit

2010-04-01T09:35:00.000-05:00

I was blessed to have my long-time friend, Andrea visit me on Tuesday. She was in Minneapolis for work, so she extended her stay to spend the night with me...lucky me!

I picked her up at the airport and we headed to IKEA...she had never been and I wanted to get some ideas for decorating. It is such an overwhelming place.

I am going to have a horrible time decorating my house...I just tend to throw everything around the room and hope it looks good. I was especially interested in the fully-designed rooms.

I was NOT feeling well this day. When the weather changes, I tend to get really bad pressure headaches. So I felt dizzy, pressure in my head and nauseous. I decided to get a water and a cookie to give me some fuel. I wasn't hungry but I felt I needed some energy.

After IKEA, we went to Mall of America. We were reminiscing about how often we went there when it first opened. Anyone who lives outside Minnesota just assumes we go to MOA all the time. But it is a pain to park and there are always SOOO many people!! So I don't go there very often.

Andrea needed to find some shoes so we started at Nordstrom. She found some really cute pumps. I really want to get a pair, but I may wait until I get my tax money.

She then suggested we go get pedicures...which is funny because that was exactly what I wanted to do. So we headed to LA Nails.

Man, these ladies were PUSHY. They asked us at least 20 times if we wanted a manicure...we kept saying no, we didn't want a manicure.

We then headed to Cantina #1, a new restaurant on the 4th floor. I hadn't heard of it but read some reviews online...

I felt like I was back in Mexico!! Great atmosphere and location!

I knew I wanted to get something light, but that I could bring home for Chad. I was still feeling a little gross so I kept it light...

Chicken enchilada with 2 beef tacos. Yummy!

Here is the view from our booth....crazy to watch all the people.

It was great to see Andrea. Thankfully, she will be here 2-3 more times this summer!!

New domain...

2010-03-30T10:33:00.002-05:00

I changed my domain name to:

Runningteachingeating.blogspot.com

Please change this on your Google Reader!!

Thanks!!

So many restaurants, too little time!!!

2010-03-30T09:49:00.004-05:00

We are moving!!!!

To the suburbs!!!

30 miles away!!!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

While this is a very scary thing for us, we are SOOOO excited! We cannot talk about anything else. It's the biggest thing (other than getting married) we have ever done, and it's all we can think about!!

I will give more details once we have everything ironed out...we are still in the negotiations phase.

With our moving inching closer, I am feeling anxious about leaving all the great restaurants I have around me in Minneapolis. Something I LOVE about Minneapolis is all the small, quaint, locally-owned restaurants. You can go 1-2 blocks and find a great restaurant!! I have eaten at MANY of these restaurants, but haven't gotten close to eating at all of them.

Here are a few our my/our favorites:

**Cafe Ena (read about our experience here)

** Cafe Maude

**Curran's

**El Paraiso

** Gigi's

** The Lyndale Tap

** El Meson

** The Herkimer

** Rudolphs

** Bryant Lake Bowl

** Common Roots Cafe

** French Meadow Bakery

** Sunnyside-up Cafe

Those are just a sampling of my favorites in my neighborhood.

Yesterday, I met my cousin, Kelly at another neighborhood restaurant-King's.

My hair stylist, Taryn at Spalon Montage, told me about King's. She also lives in the neighborhood and just loves King's. I was excited to try it out for lunch.

I looked at the menu before we went and already knew what I would order...Who doesn't love grilled cheese and tomato soup??

First, I had a cup of coffee (it was a little chilly because we were sitting outside). Kelly ordered the tator tots. It seems like this is becoming a staple item on local restaurant menus.

Tater Tots $6.95
Housemade tater tots with gruyere and bacon sauce

The sauce was AMAZING!! These are not your everyday tator tots as you can tell. Ummmm...I can still taste these!! A Must-Try!!

We both ordered the half-grilled cheese and tomato basil soup...

Kings Grilled Cheese $8.50
Toasted with gruyere, fresh mozzarella and Wisconsin cheddar cheese

Look at that bread!!

It came with a big bowl of Tomato Basil soup.

I was really loving the grilled cheese, but the soup was a little thick and had a sweet after-taste. I realized that with tomato soup, I really need crackers. Too bad they didn't have any.

King's was a fun restaurant. The atmosphere inside was really neat, but everyone was sitting outside enjoying the 50degree weather :)

After lunch, we walked around Lake Calhoun...my FAVORITE spot in Minneapolis. I am definitely going to miss not having this lake so close!!

Kelly is training for the 3-day in September. This is her 3rd year walking...read about why she walks here...

Great first day of Spring Break!!!!

The Big Sleep Debate...

2010-03-30T09:24:00.005-05:00

I have been experimenting with my sleep regimen for the last few weeks. I am trying to wean myself off all the medications I have been taking...(acne meds, sleeping meds, anxiety meds, acid reflux meds, etc). So far I have successfully gotten myself off the acne meds (using Project Glow), have stopped my acid reflux meds, and I am currently working on getting off my sleeping meds.

Here is my reasoning for the sleeping meds:

I have always been a good sleeper, just ask my mom :) My husband has a different idea though. I have what is called Restless Leg Syndrome. Chad says it is like I am playing soccer in my sleep. I have always recognized that I move A LOT in my sleep, but until I moved in with Chad, it didn't bother anyone. Chad is a very LIGHT sleeper, so he wakes up to any movement I make. This has caused many problems!! I also woke up 8-10 times per night, which made me wake up tired, and feel unrested. The other MAJOR problem for me with sleeping is that I had HORRIBLE dreams. I cannot even tell you how many traumatizing, terrorizing dreams I have had.

Basically, I was waking up after 8-9 hours of "sleep" feeling completely unrested.

I have tried many things for my sleeping. I went to bed earlier, read a book, practiced deep breathing, etc. After talking with my doctor, we decided to try a sleeping medication-Amitriptyline. This is a medication prescribed for depression, but is also used for sleep problems.

This medication has worked wonders for me.

I sleep through the night. I get 8 hours of sleep and wake up feeling rested. My nightmares have stopped, and my restless leg syndrome has calmed down, a little bit :) I have also experimented with cutting down on this medication. When I don't take it, the nightmares return immediately and I am not able to stay asleep all night.

What should I do?? This is a medication I CANNOT be on when I get pregnant...so I have to figure something out...

My recent attempt at getting off this medication has been pretty successful. I haven't taken it in 2 weeks and have been trying something different- TEA!!!

I have NEVER liked tea. Ick!! But I saw Sleepytime tea a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try. I make a mug of tea about an hour before I am going to go to bed...I have been pretty impressed with it's effectiveness. I have been sleeping through the night, for the most part.

However, it has been taking me HOURS to fall asleep. All the tossing and turning is driving Chad crazy!! When I don't sleep well, he doesn't sleep well.

I am going to continue the tea every night and hope to get this under control...

WHAT IS YOUR SLEEPING ROUTINE?

HAVE YOU STRUGGLED WITH SLEEPLESSNESS??

A Weekend Away....

2010-03-28T11:18:00.011-05:00

It feels so good to have a weekend away. I am on my Spring Break (SPRING BREAK 2010 BABY!!!!) Every year on Spring Break, I feel like yelling that out...makes me feel like I am in Mexico with MTV for Spring Break...I know I am a dork.

My brother's band Roster McCabe was up here recording their next album and they finished early, so Chad and I jumped on the opportunity to come up here and spend some time together.

Before we left, I chose 3 new recipes from the Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast magazine I picked up this week. I was SUPER excited to have some time to spend cooking this weekend!!

Chad, however, was not so excited to participate in my experiments.

He is very strong on his desire to stay OFF the blog...why??

My first meal was for Saturday's lunch...

Skillet Sloppy Beef Sandwiches.

Ingredients:

* Cooking spray

* 1 lb. Lean ground beef

* 1 c. refrigerated prechopped tricolor bell pepper

* 1/2 c. frozen whole-kernel corn (I only had canned corn)

* 1 (14.5 oz) can Mexican-styled stewed tomatoes with jalapeno peppers and spices, undrained (I could only find diced tomatoes with the Mexican spices)

* 1/4 c. plus 2 T ketchup

* 4 (1 1/2 oz) whole-wheat hamburger buns (thanks Lund's bakery!!)

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef and bell pepper and saute' for 5 minutes or until meat is browned. Drain

2. Return meat mixture to pan. Add corn, tomatoes and ketchup.

3. Cook 9 minutes or to desired consistency.

4. Serve on hamburger buns.

Yield: 4 servings (1 c. beef and 1 bun)

Calories: 382 Fat: 13g

Creamy Ranch-Style Coleslaw

Ingredients:

* 1/3 c. light mayo

* 1/4 c. nonfat buttermilk (I forgot this at home so I added a little milk)

* 1 t. salt-free onion and herb seasoning blend

* 1/4 t. salt

* 1/8 t. black pepper

* 4 c. packaged coleslaw

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. (I forgot to do this...oops)

2. Pour dressing over slaw. Toss well. Cover and chill.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 cup)

Calories: 85 Fat: 7 g.

Chad's only words were, "WOW. This is so good!!" I think he said it 4-5 times :)

I was so happy that he approved!! He is pretty hard to please when it comes to food...

Because we were eating, Tesa decided it was time for her lunch too.

Tesa has really enjoyed being at the cabin! She has been exploring the whole time. We even let her explore outside yesterday for awhile (even though I was freaking out about it!)

She had a hay-day with a plastic bag...you would have thought I gave her a ton of treats!

Saturday night, I pulled out all the stops for dinner. I went all out with this recipe. I knew it would be another favorite of Chad's.

Tenderloin Steaks with Beer Reduction and Blue Cheese

Ingredients:

* 2 t. steak rub (McCormick Grill Mates)

* 4 (4 oz) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (I only made 2)

* 1 t. olive oil

* 1 (12 oz) bottle dark lager (we used Finnegans)

* 2 T. light brown sugar

* 2 T. crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Rub steak seasoning over both sides of steaks. (I refrigerated them for 30 minutes)

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks and cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove steaks from pan and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 4-5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

4. While steaks bake, combine beer and brown sugar in medium bowl and add to pan. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture is syrupry and reduced to about 1/4 c.

(I made a HUGE mistake here. I added this mixture to the pan in the stove rather than the pan on the stovetop. The mixture did not crystallize or reduce because it was in the oven...duh)

5. Serve steaks with reduced sauce and sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings (1 steak and 1 1/2 T sauce and 1 1/2 t. cheese per serving)

Calories: 209 Fat: 8g

Garlic-Herb Steak Fries

Ingredients:

* 3 cups frozen steak fries (I could not find these and used crinkle fries)

* 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

* 1 T olive oil

* 1 t. garlic-sea salt blend

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Arrange fries in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

3. Bake at 450 for 17 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring once.

Yield: 4 servings (3/4 cup per serving)

Calories: 170 Fat: 7g

Chad made a great salad, but again refused to be photographed.

The fries got a little too done, and the steaks were a little too done as well. Chad was changing out the laundry and he is the steak master so I overcooked them :(

It was still SUPER GOOD!!!

Dessert was only enjoyed by moi. Chad isn't a big dessert guy. That is one place where we totally disagree!! :)

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Banana Split

Ingredients:

* 6 T Chocolate syrup (I used Trader Joe's Chocolate Sauce)

* 1 1/2 T. reduced-fat peanut butter

* 3 bananas, cut in half lengthwise

* 3 c. vanilla bean light ice cream

* 3 T. chopped unsalted peanuts

1. Combine chocolate syrup and peanut butter in a 1-c. glass measure. Microwave at high 40 seconds or until peanut butter melts. (I did not measure these out and only had a plastic measuring cup. I had a hard time getting the consistency right between the syrup and peanut butter. It was really thick)

2. Cut each banana half crosswise into 2 pieces. Arrange 2 banana pieces in each of 6 dessert dishes; top banana evenly with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately. (I only used 1 banana because it was just me. I skipped the peanuts and added strawberries.

This was excellent!!!!!

I woke up bright and early...at 7:10 a.m. I know right?? I'm on Spring Break, I should be able to sleep in. I got dressed and went for a run. It was A LOT colder than it was yesterday. The outdoor thermometer said 26 degrees....BBBBRRRRRRRR!!! I had to dig out an old-school purple headband to cover my ears.

It was really hard to continue running with the cold air... I ran/walked 2 miles. I came home and tried to sit on the deck to read my book...had to go inside because it was TOO COLD!!!

This is not water on the chair...it is ice!!

This morning, we got up and went to the Wharf in town for breakfast. They just started serving breakfast so I was excited to check it out. I ordered the eggs and hashbrowns. I did not realize the hashbrowns came on TOP of the eggs and there was 3-4 c. hashbrowns and 2 eggs. TOO greasy for me!!

I also had a small pancake on the side, which I ate half of. I had 2 cups of coffee.

Now it is time to take a quick nap and read my book.

Tonight's dinner plans: Lemon Red Snapper with Herb Butter and Risotto...yummy!

Loooooonnnnnnng Week...

2010-03-23T21:04:00.004-05:00

Wow was last week a long and painful week. Monday and Tuesday I nursed my calves back to health, or tried to. I felt great after my race but was really tight in my right calf. I held off on exercise and decided to rest for the week.

Chad and I had plans to go out for St. Patty's Day on Wednesday. Before we went out, I decided to cook up a chicken breast that was in my fridge....the important part of this story is that it had been in the fridge for quite awhile...longer than 7 days. I didn't want to pay to eat out and wanted to get rid of this chicken...Bad idea!!! I was already feeling icky from sinus stuff...the food sickness made a slow progression...

Chad and I drove down to Minneapolis and parked by Block E. My dad was at the new Kieren's with work friends (he is friends with Kieren through the restaurant biz) and we wanted to meet up with him...(You know you are old when you meet your dad at a bar for a holiday ;)

Luckily, he was just leaving. We found this out as we walked by the line of hundreds of people...he gave us his and a friends' wrist band so we could cut in line...I know, so rebellious of me right?

The new Kieren's is really cool!! Really open, rustic and Irish!! They had an Irish band playing so we stayed right up front and listened. We found a spot to sit and did some people watching. My stomach was starting to feel a little off...so I ordered a side of "chips". I was pretty disappointed with these, because I am used to British chips...thick, wedge potatoes. These were stringy...ech.

The coolest part of the whole night was the few times that the bagpipers came through the bar. There were probably 10 bag pipers and 3-5 drummers. They made their way around the bar...so cool!!!

It was a fun night, but my stomach was not happy when I got home. 2 beers and the fries didn't help...

Let's just say it was a LOOOONNNNGGGG night...

and I missed work the next day...

boo

Thought I'd Died...didn't you?

2010-03-22T21:20:00.001-05:00

I am still alive!

I have been sick for a week or so have had no energy to do anything...I promise I will be back tomorrow...

Thought I was going to die!!!!!!

2010-03-14T20:28:00.005-05:00

Okay not really, but I was close :)

Last night, I laid out my race-day wear and tried to get to bed early. Shana and I babysat our summer-job-family last night(more on this later.) I got home and watched some of Saturday Night Live...after Chad reminded me about daylight savings...oops.

I set my alarm for 7:00 a.m. and hoped to get a good night's sleep. The alarm went off a little too soon for me!! We drove to St. Paul and tried to find Como Lake. We drove past the pavilion and saw all the green gear and had to pull a U-turn.

It was A LOT colder than I thought it would be...brrrrrr!!! I checked in, got my t-shirt and waited for my parents.

My parents arrived and we hung out and tried to stay warm until the race started. I was starting to get nervous. My shins REALLY hurt yesterday. I iced them or 2 hours in the afternoon and then again at night. I stretched a lot today and tried to get them warmed up...

Malley was donning her St. Patty's Day collar...she got so many compliments. She is such a pretty dog!

We were in the middle of the crowd and a ways back from the start line. I started my stop watch when we hit the start spot and not when the race started...We were running around the lake backwards...so the mileage markers were off. That was a little confusing and kind of a mind-game.

The first lap around the lake was easy. That's why I look so "fresh."

As soon as we finished the first lap, I started to crash. My breathing got really heavy and uneven...I slowed my pace down a lot and got passed by a few people. I REALLY wanted to walk. After a few minutes, I told my dad I wanted to walk. Of course, he said I couldn't stop. He started asking me questions and talking about who we were going to pass. "See that guy? We are going to pass him." I didn't try to pass anyone until the finish line was straight in front of me. We passed a group of 7 as we sprinted to the finish line. I saw Chad and my mom and was so glad to be done!!

You an see the big group behind us...we were that far behind them and we passed them! You can also see my dad's hand on my back...sweet :)

The time says 33 minutes and 9 seconds. We subtracted 30 seconds from that because we were not right at the starting line when we started. So I will say my time is 32 minutes and 39 seconds.

I look like I am going to die, but notice the woman behind me. I had to hold onto my dad to make sure I didn't pass out after sprinting and then stopping. That guy in front of me was the guy I really wanted to pass, but I didn't. BOO

Also, thanks to my husband for the hard-to-pronounce last name. "And here is Joanie Ra-ch-ee".

I walked straight to a rock to sit down. After a few minutes, I felt great and was ready to celebrate!

My husband was pretty proud of me...that made me happy!!

We left the race and headed to Pizza Luce for breakfast. My mom and I ate breakfast at the Pizza Luce in Duluth. Of course, I kept on my race gear for breakfast!!

Chad had the breakfast burrito...look at the insides of that burrito. It was really good and spicy!

I had the french toast. It was really good, but not the best I have ever had.

After showering and recovering from the race, Chad and I headed to Shakopee to look at houses. What an exhausting experience!!!

Now I am catching up on American Idol from the week. Hope to get to bed soon...even though it is really only 8:22 p.m. It has been a long day!!!

Thanks to my husband and parents for cheering me on today!

Cafe Ena and Race-day accessories!

2010-03-11T21:01:00.005-06:00

Chad wanted to go out tonight because we won't be able to hang out all weekend...busy schedules!! I researched restaurants in our area and found Cafe Ena...their website menu showed good sandwiches and a cool atmosphere. I was game!!

I always get excited for a date with my husband...we don't do them enough!! I drove up and he was hobbling around (still recovering from his "ice" accident) talking on the phone. We walked into the restaurant...Wow! They were definitely right about the atmosphere...Latin music, rustic feeling. It was great! We sat down, opened the menu, and realized there were NO sandwiches on the menu. Not only that, but there was nothing on the dinner menu under $18. We (Chad) were looking for a "grab a beer- and go-" kinda place. Guess Not!

Chad asked the server for the beer menu and was told they only serve beer Friday-Sunday....WHAT???????????? I was hoping he wasn't going to explode right then and there. I suggested we go to the place across the street, but he said we should stay. "When in Rome..." right?? So we ordered...him a Sangria and me a wine that was similar to Pinot Grigio (this is a special occasion right??).

We started with bread and a red/sweet buttery thing...I think it was strawberry butter. who knows!!

Look at these fun plates...reminded of us our honeymoon in Mexico!

Sorry the pics are so dark...it was the ambience! :)

Sangria reminds me of my time spent in Florence...we had A LOT of Sangria!!

For dinner, I ordered the special-Filet Mignon with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes.

Chad ordered the Grouper wrapped in Prosciutto. It was also stuffed with crab...Yummy!

Both were FANTASTIC!!!!!!

Can you tell?

We skipped dessert after we talked about the good things we had at home...

St. Patty's Day 5K Update!!

I was catching up with Tina on CarrotsnCake.com. She was showing pics of her accessories for her St. Patty's 5K. I remembered that I never posted my pics of my accessories for my race...exciting!!!!!

Not going to lie...this is part of the reason I am so excited for the race!! I also got a green zip-up running hoodie at the Nike outlet...

Can't wait to post pics of my first race in 10 years!!!!!

I did it!!!!

2010-03-10T20:41:00.005-06:00

So I finally feel ready for my 5K this Sunday. I was getting really nervous because I hadn't even run a full 3 miles without stopping before tonight. I was having troubles with my shins, I was sick for a week and a half and hadn't had consistent exercise in 2 weeks.

Monday I ran/walked 3.1 miles in 37 miles. I ran most of the time but wasn't very fast. My shins were ok, but I had a little pain. It is weird- I have more pain after I walk and start running again. So I guess I just have to keep running!!

Tuesday I did session 1 of Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred.

I wore my old shoes because my new shoes were in my car. (LAZY!!) During the cardio section (jumping jacks, butt kicks, etc) my shins REALLY hurt. I paused the DVD and put on the Shin Compression Wrap I bought yesterday at the Running Room.

(This is NOT my leg...btw)

My shins still hurt but I finished the first session.

I was thinking I was going to be SORE yesterday from my run and today from the Shred...but I wasn't either time.

I went to the gym today prepared to run!!! I got on the treadmill, walked for 1 minute and went right to work. I wavered between 5.5 and 6.0 mph. Most of the time, I run at 6.0. Two weeks ago, I could only run at 6.0 for a few minutes.

Funny Story: I cover up the screen on the treadmill while I run. I don't like knowing how far I have left. I moved my book and saw that I had run 2.58 miles. Stupid me...I was thinking it was time...you know, 60 seconds in a minute kind of deal? When I saw the mileage change to 2.60, I FREAKED out. You know how it is when you think you are almost done and you realize you still have more? Running is such a mental thing and I had to convince myself over and over to keep going and not to slow down. I kept it at 6.0 and finished strong. I even upped it to 6.3 for a few minutes!!

I was so proud of myself!! I DID IT!!!!!

I am just a little bit excited!!!

I am so excited and motivated that I registered for my next race!!! I am registered for the Challenge Obesity 5K. It is around Como Lake, just like my race on Sunday. Makes me feel better!!

My dad is going to run the race with me on Sunday...nice surprise!!

After my big run, I wanted a BIG salad! I stopped at Lunds and got salad fixings from the salad bar. This is the easiest way for me to have fresh, chopped veggies QUICKLY! So easy!!

My salad had:

* mixed greens

* craisins

* carrots

* cucumbers

* broccoli

* red onions

* red/yellow/green peppers

* Hot pepper cheese chunks

* peas

* Balsamic Garlic Viniagarette (Is that how you spell that??)

I also had a grapefruit (LOVE!!), a cup of Baked beans and my favorite water!!

Ok...finishing up an episode of 16 and Pregnant (I know....I'm a teenager!) and heading to bed.

nighty Night!!!

Blogger Block...

2010-03-09T20:48:00.000-06:00

I have lots to write about...but just don't feel the desire to write.

Sorry.

Hopefully I will be back soon in full swing!!

Project Glow Check-In

2010-03-07T12:54:00.006-06:00

I have searched high and low for all the things I need for Project Glow. I cannot find the St. Ive's Green Tea Cleanser ANYWHERE....I heard from MegaNerdruns that she got hers at Walmart so I will look there today. I did find some eye makeup remover and a day and night lotion.

I use these at night before and after I wash my face with the St. Ive's Apricot Scrub...

These are like a spa for your eyes....soooo wonderful!!

Then I put on Night-time moisturizer...It's like putting silk on my face....yummy!

In the morning, I wash with the St. Ive's Apricot Scrub. Like I said, I am still searching for the Green tea Cleanser for the morning. The bottle says to use the scrub 3-4 times a week so I am a little worried about drying out my face and it being too rough but it seems fine now...

Right after getting out of the shower, I apply the Neutrogena Moisturizer...

So far this experiment is going well. My face feels really soft and I haven't had any recent breakouts...

WHAT IS YOUR FACE ROUTINE???

Green Monsters...finally!

2010-03-07T11:42:00.002-06:00

So I gave into the blogger fad...and tried the Green Monster.

Everyone talks about how GREAT they are!! So I had to try it....I added 2 Tablespoons Flax seed, 1.5 cup milk, 2 cups spinach, a banana and ice.

I have never been a fan of green drinks. But I was willing to give it a try.

Isn't it fun to have drinks in a wine glass? Especially nice since I haven't been drinking wine at home :)

So, back to the contents of the pretty wine glass...

I wasn't impressed with it. I have a thing with weird textures and the banana added a weird texture to this drink. The taste was fine but it was frothy and grainy. I had to add some chocolate sauce to smooth it out a bit..

I still have all the ingredients for these but I am afraid to try it again. Maybe I will add a carrot or some berries next time.

Tesa loves to lay in the sun!!

Dear shins...

2010-03-04T21:58:00.002-06:00

Dear shins,

You have been giving me some trouble. I treated you well by buying you new, expensive running shoes, I iced you after a hard workout, and stretched you before I ran. I even gave you a week off when I had a cold. But you still break my heart!! Why must you hurt when other runners have no problems?? I have a 5K in 10 days...how will I run if you continue to cause me so much pain??

Please take my worries and concerns into consideration the next time you plan on hurting me.

Thanks,

Joanie

Super Teacher and Book Exchange

2010-03-03T16:58:00.005-06:00

I spent today at an elementary school in St. Louis Park. I have to do 30 hours of observation for my Reading License so I really wanted to observe another teacher in my same position. The school I went to also has a similar population to Stonebridge and they are an IB school as well. I have always been interested in St. Louis Park schools because they have a fair share of diversity (56%), they are applying to be an IB school, and St. Louis Park is very close to Minneapolis.

I met the two teachers, (who have an actual classroom, by the way) and kids came in seconds later. It was so fun to see someone else teach Reading! I took 10 pages of notes, typed up many resources, and took a TON of pictures!!!!

These are just two of my favorite. I got so many good ideas of how to better our Reading program next year. I feel so fortunate to have observed such Super Teachers!!!

Ladies' Book Exchange...

A few weeks ago, I saw a facebook post from my cousin. She was looking for book recommendations. I posted a few of my favorites, and my mind kept thinking. I made myself a promise before Christmas that I would not buy any new books until I read more of my current collection. I have a TON of books I haven't read yet, and I am running out of room in my small house!!

Because of this, and knowing I had friends/family looking for good books to read, I came up with the idea of a Ladies' Book Exchange. Some of my girlfriends and I have been talking about having a Womens' get-together anyways, and this gave it a purpose and a fun twist!! So I facebook'd (Is this the new verb?) some friends and family and told them my idea. They were excited and were ready to sign up! We set the date, location and members. Here were the rules:

1. Bring 2 of your favorite books.

2. Put an address label inside the book.

3. Show up

We went to Enjoy! in Apple Valley. It was closest to 3 people that were coming so it was a good place have the first meeting. Unfortunately, 2 members were unable to come so it ended up being Shana, Annie and me. I get together with these ladies and talk books as it is, so this was just another dinner out for us!

Two of my favorite ladies!!!!!!

We started off with an appetizer (and I had a glass of wine...special occasion!!). We ordered the Beef Tenderloin Tips: Pan seared, hand-cut tips of tender beef tossed in a bourbon glaze with tomatoes and scallions with creamy horseradish dipping sauce. We weren't crazy about this appetizer, especially since it was $11.

I ordered the Saffron Risotto with Asparagus and Chicken. It was good, but not for the price of $19.

I might go back to this restaurant again for a special occasion, but not for a regular ole' dinner. I did leave with some good books though...actually only 1. It isn't a book I would normally pick up but Shana's description made it sound interesting!

The top book is the book I got from Shana. The bottom two are the books I brought to share.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was romantic and chill. Dimmed lights, cool lighting and huge chairs made you feel like you were in a castle! The wait staff was a little...absent? But very helpful when they were at our table. Our server even brought out the head chef to talk to Shana about a very specific order...

EEEEKKKKK!

2010-03-02T21:31:00.005-06:00

Workouts are still on hold. I keep going to bed thinking I am going to wake up healthy and refreshed. I almost went home from work today...my head is so stuffy and runny!! BOO!!!

So I am listening to my body and resting...I am hoping the rest will do me some good. I am nervous about my 5K coming up in 11 days...eeeeeekkkkkk!!!!

I have seen Megan at MegaNerdRuns.com make the choice to try the Project Glow from Angela at OhSheGlows.com. I have struggled with acne since I was 15. I have been on Accutane, ProActive, Acne-Free, more antibiotics than I can count and endless amounts of topical creams. Some things work for awhile but never permanently. Thank God my face cleared up for my wedding...but since then, it has been an upward battle!! (My mom would attribute this to my not washing my face every night...verdict is still out on that one)

I am currently on an Antibiotic (Minocycline) a topical cream (Tretinoin) and a Sunfader for my brown spots (Obagi Nu-Derm 6). I have also been on Clindamyacin on and off since I was a teen and Mela-D for the sun spots. It is EXHAUSTING trying new products, getting excited about it working and seeing it fail!

So I am up for trying something new. Angela explains her Project Glow in detail and I am going to try it out, with a few alterations. I bought the St. Ives Blemish and Blackhead control. I looked at Target and Walgreens for the cleanser and moisturizer....no luck. Where else should I look? CVS???

This is going to take a lot of guts on my part...but I am going to post a picture of my face now...without make up on.........EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!

The things I do for the Internet :) You can't really see the redness in my face but believe me, it is there!! I have a lot of leftover marks from acne...I am going to abandon my current treatments to try something new and natural...

I will:

1. Wash my face every night and apply a lotion

2. wash my face every morning and apply a cleanser and moisturizer

3. Try the ever-popular Green Monster...another EEEEEKKKK! (I have yet to try one of these popular drinks but I have the ingredients ready to go. It better be good after how many people drink them!!!)

4. Drink more water...(Do my LaCroix waters count for regular water???)

So this is my current beauty challenge..to go along with my Whittle My Mittle challenge (Which is also on hold since my face has a leak).

My mom will be so proud :)

To run or not to run...that is the question

2010-03-01T18:26:00.003-06:00

I am still having troubles uploading pictures...for some reason, as soon as I pick a picture, the prism thing circles around and around...and around.

So for now, you will have to imagine...there are no pictures.

I have really been struggling for a week and a half with my workouts. I have been sick on and off...headaches, chills, stuffy nose, sore throat...did I mention stuffy nose? I went to class last Monday and ran Wednesday. I had class Thursday, an event Friday night and was dead-sick Saturday and Sunday. I questioned all today whether or not I should run tonight and go to class. After getting home and changing out of my work clothes, I decided not to work out.

Now I am dealing with the "skipped my workout guilt." I really hope I did the right thing resting today. Hopefully, I can get back on track tomorrow. I only have 13 days until my 5k...

Wait until you see the fun things I got to wear for the St. Patty's Day race...so excited!!!

Out with the old, In with the new....!!!!!

2010-02-27T11:09:00.003-06:00

What? 2 posts in 1 day?? Hi Again!! (I have tried to post this at least 10 times today but I CANNOT upload the pics...those will come soon!)

I have been struggling with shin splints for 2 months now. I have tried everything: ice, advil, stretching, tying shoes differently, and many more small things. I finally made the choice to get new running shoes. I wasn't looking forward to dishing out more than a hundred dollars on new shoes, that would HOPEFULLY stop my shin splints.

On our way to Duluth, my mom searched for a top-notch running store in Duluth. We found the Duluth Running Company. The guy that helped me was great!! He had me take off my boots and watched me walk back and forth in the store...as he was laying on the floor watching my feet. I showed him my old running shoes and he said that I was in the completely wrong running shoe. I was in a SUPPORT shoe when I needed to be in a NEUTRAL shoe. He said that could be the main reason I was having such bad shin splints.

OLD SHOES

and

I tried on 3 different neutral shoes and walked around the store. It is pretty hard to choose a shoe when you are trying on 3 different pairs. Once I tried on one pair, I forgot about the other pair. I narrowed it down to 2 pairs and put one on each foot.

I chose the Mizunos. They are so comfy and soft. It feels like my foot is surrounded by a pillow...heaven!!

NEW SHOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another challenge...

2010-02-27T10:52:00.005-06:00

I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a super religious person. But I have always respected those who give up something for Lent. I have never thought myself strong enough to give up something for 40 days...this year was different!

The days leading up to Ash Wednesday, I was constantly thinking of what I could give up. I didn't talk with anyone about it, except myself :)

After a few days, I decided to give up alcohol for Lent. Again, I didn't tell anyone right away. I didn't tell Chad until the Friday after Ash Wednesday. My first challenge came that Friday at Happy Hour with work friends. I told friends I was giving up alcohol, and drank kiddy cocktails all night. Surprisingly, I was satisfied and it was easy.

As you know now, I spent last weekend in Duluth with my mom and brother. Waiting for dinner Saturday night, my mom ordered me a club soda and cranberry juice. She wanted me to get away from the kiddy cocktail, since it has pop and a lot of sugar in the grenadine. The club soda/cranberry juice was NOT satisfying and it made not drinking really hard.

Once we sat down at the table, my mom and I discussed my goal for Lent. After much debate, we decided I should give up alcohol in everyday settings: home, happy hour, etc. Because I love to enjoy a glass of wine while eating out, we decided I should be able to have a glass of wine on special occasions: dinner with mom, cousins' night out, etc. However, I will still abstain from drinking at home and at happy hour. I want this goal to be something that I can actually achieve.

I have already have 2 people believe I am doing this because I am pregnant...

I AM NOT PREGNANT...yet:)

There have been days that I come from work, and I want to have a glass of wine with dinner. It has been challenging, but I am also enjoying the challenge.

Duluth-Bound

2010-02-24T21:03:00.007-06:00

My brother and his band have returned from their 3 week tour to record their next album. Their last stop was in Duluth and my mom asked me if I wanted to go and have a girls' weekend...of course I wanted to go!!

She picked me up Saturday afternoon. We had a nice drive up to Duluth and stopped at Tobies which is famous for their bakery. My mom and I both had sandwiches and she had soup. I perused the bakery section but didn't find anything I wanted.

We had a small incident with the hotel...mom thought we had a room at the Holiday Inn....the nice Holiday Inn :) After hauling all our stuff into the hotel, and trying to check in, my mom realized her confirmation email was for the Best Western. THE Best Western we drove by on our way to the Holiday Inn. I am pretty sure I thought, "Glad we aren't staying there!" as we drove by. Oops...Karma. So we checked into the scary-looking Best Western, made our way to our scary, dirty-feeling room and unpacked.

My mom picked up my brother from setting up for the show so he could come shower. Oh the life of a traveling rockstar...

We then had to drop my brother back at the venue so he could do sound check. My mom and I headed to dinner...

Seriously, my mom and I spent at least an hour each searching for the perfect place for dinner. We wanted local, organic food. We ended up at Black Woods, which was disappointing to me since I had already eaten there.

My mom and I ordered a flat bread while we waited for my brother to arrive by taxi. Steak, blue cheese and red peppers. SOOOOO good!!!!!

My fabulous dinner dates...

I was craving steak so I ordered the filet that came with veggies, chive mashed potatoes AND a salad. I almost didn't get the salad because it was SOOO much food.

But the salad was great...house Italian dressing. I didn't eat the bread...such a proud moment for me :)

The steak was awesome. I dipped it in A1. The potatoes were so creamy and the pea pods were still crunchy...I wonder how they cooked them??

Mom also had steak and Drew ordered the salmon. Also very good!! Mom thought the salmon was a little dry but we weren't going to send it back.

After dinner, we dropped Drew off at the venue and went back to the hotel to rest up for the big show. The band wasn't playing until 11:00 so we had some time to wait. It was really hard to get out of bed to get to the show...but I am a loyal sister :)

Drew and his crazy keyboard...

Like what you hear? Want to hear more??

ROSTERMCCABE.COM

My mom and I danced and sang our hearts out. We didn't get to bed until 2:30 a.m!!!!!! Crazy party girls :) I was not, however, drinking any alcohol...MORE ON THIS TOMORROW..:)

Mom and I also searched for the perfect breakfast spot too. However, Drew told us that Pizza Luce had the 2nd breakfast (2nd to Al's in Minneapolis). So we decided to check it out.

The ambience was so cool! Live acoustic music, families everywhere, light coming in from the beautiful morning. I wish the Pizza Luce by our house had brunch. I would go all the time!!

The menu was so neat...loved the font and the pictures!

I also loved the coffee cups...I want some of these for our house!!

I had the Western Omelette with hashbrowns and toast. The omelette was good but the hashbrowns were cold. They were still good though. They served local jam which I had to try on the wheat toast. SOOO good and fresh.

Mom had the Pesto Benedict with Sausage. It looked good but I can't do the Hollandaise sauce...something about the texture and consistency of it...gross!

All in all, our trip to Duluth was great! It was a much needed girls' weekend!!

I have class tomorrow night and again, I am dreading another super long day. I haven't packed my lunch or dinner yet so it will either be an early morning, or a day where I get lunch and dinner out...oops. Just sooo tired lately...

Topics for later this weekend:

1. No drinking

2. New running shoes

3. Countdown to 5K plus fun accessories for race

4. Rest or run??

1 week already?

2010-02-23T21:05:00.002-06:00

I cannot believe it has been 1 week since my last post. Life has been crazy the last week...

I am too exhausted to post a long, pictured-filled post. Hopefully, I will have more time and energy to post tomorrow.

Stay tuned!!!

Hello old friend...

2010-02-17T21:24:00.004-06:00

Are the American Idol episodes 3 hours long? I am watching one on DVR and even with fast-forwarding through commercials, it still feels like I have been watching FOR-E-VER!!

I had a training today from 4-6 and planned to go to the gym after that. However, at 5:45 when we were done, all I wanted to do was go home. I even had to drive by my house to get to the gym...such an internal struggle!!!

I did get to the gym, though. I knew Chad wouldn't be home for awhile and I knew I would sit on the couch when I got home anyways. So to the gym I went!

I did Day 6 of Whittle My Middle, stretched and then took my place on the treadmill. I got my iPod ready, my headband on and my magazine to cover up the screen. I walked for a minute and then set my speed at 5.5. I ran, and ran, and ran. To all you long-distance runner, my distance today is no big feat. But to me, who has been struggling with painful shin splints, my distance today was a big accomplishment.

My BF Shana walked by me on her way to Body Works. I talked to her a bit and she asked how long I had been running..."I Don't Know!!" I looked and it was 20 minutes, 1.80 miles. I was beaming! I said good-bye to her and continued running. I ran 2.2 miles in 25 minutes. I walked for 2 minutes as a cool down.

It felt really good to run without a lot of pain. I stopped at 2.2 miles because I was starting to have some more pain in my right shin. I didn't want to push it.

I got home and wanted a quick, easy dinner. I planned to make Black Bean Quesadillas and they were easy and DELICIOUS!!!

Black Bean Quesadillas

1 can no-salt black beans, rinsed and drained

1 t. dried onion flakes (I used dried onion and garlic)

8 flour or whole wheat tortillas

2 cups (8 oz) shredded low-fat colby or monterey jack cheese (I used pepper jack, cheddar and mozzarella. That was all I had in my fridge)

1 c. salsa

1/2 c. fat free sour cream

1. Place beans and onion flakes in a small saucepan over low heat and cook for 5 minutes. Mash the beans with a spoon and keep warm. (I added a can of corn as well)

2. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla in pan and sprinkle with 1/4 c. cheese. Cook for 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Spoon one-quarter of the bean mixture on top and sprinkle with 1/4 c. cheese. Top with another tortilla. Carefully (with husband's help!) turn the quesadilla and cook for 2 minutes or until browned.

THESE...WERE...FA-BU-LOUS!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it was that they were so quick...maybe it was that they were easy....but I think it was because they tasted so fresh and tasteful!!

I needed a side and didn't feel like cutting or cooking vegetables. Last night, I bought these,

for moments just like these. I threw this bag in the microwave for 6 minutes and I had pea pods, red peppers and potatoes...Yummy!

The full meal...

Since I had sweets last night for dessert, I decided to have fruit tonight...so I said hello to an old friend...

Plus a small piece of dark chocolate...

Tomorrow is a dreadful day...work 8-4:30, class from 5-9. It is so hard to think about facing a day like that. I am going to bed soon (earlier than normal) to prepare for tomorrow. I also have to prepare lunch and dinner and get that packed...

Talk to you Friday!!

It all ends with chocolate...right?

2010-02-16T20:42:00.004-06:00

I told myself yesterday and all day today..."I will go to the gym. I will run." It may sound silly to some, (like my husband) but it helped me to picture myself going and ignoring my negative thoughts...about being sick and being tired, etc.

I admit...I did think for a second, "I just want to go home and lay on the couch." I pushed through that and headed to the gym.

I did Day 5 of Whittle My Middle. I am feeling a lot stronger with my planks, torso twists and the plank ups (which I HATE!!!). It feels good to see a change in my strength...Yippee!!

I then ran...duh duh duhhhhhh. It was ok actually. I am always nervous when I switch from walking to running, waiting for the pain to set in. I still have a little pain, but not intense enough that I need to stop. Unfortunately, I didn't use the bathroom before I went, so I had to stop early. I ran for 15 minutes straight today...I know that's not a lot, but it is for me right now.

I then did 30 minutes on the Crossramp. I don't know if it is because I have been sick or what, but I sweat more today than I ever have...gross!

I hurried home to make Grilled Chicken with Kung Pao Sauce..."Good-bye Take our. Hello, Healthy Kung Pao!" I found this in January 2010's Shape Magazine.

Ingredients:

1. 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry. (I only used 2 large chicken breasts)

2. 1/4 c. plus 2T. low-sodium soy sauce (I didn't have low-sodium...boo)

3. 1 T. black or red rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar...which is what I used)

4. 1 T. plus 1 t. water

5. 1/4 t. sugar

6. 1/4 c. oyster sauce (I used fish sauce)

7. 1/8 t. sesame oil

8. 1/2 t. cornstarch

9. 1/4 c. unsalted peanuts, chopped (I didn't chop them...I like them whole)

10. 1 scallion, slivered (I didn't use one of these...didn't have one)

Directions:

Grill chicken.

Mix soy sauce, vinegar, 1 T and 1/2 t. water, sugar, oyster sauce and oil. Bring to a boil.

In small bow, combine cornstarch and remaining water and drizzle into sauce.

Return sauce to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Coat each chicken breast with sauce. Garnish with peanuts and scallions and serve immediately.

This recipe didn't have any vegetables, so I added broccoli, pea pods, green peppers and carrots to the mix.

I also cooked 2 cups of brown rice to accompany the Kung Pao chicken.

Looks good right???

I liked this recipe, although the sauce didn't thicken much so it was kind of watery. The chicken was a little dry even though I added soy sauce while it was cooking. It was a lot like the Chicken Stirfry I love to make!!

After a shower and cleaning up the kitchen, I made a small bowl of TJ's French Vanilla ice cream with raspberries, 1/2 banana, TJ chocolate sauce and TJ's Mini peanut butter cups...A-MA-ZING!!!

Tomorrow is another long day...work 8-4 and MCA Math training 4-6. I hope to get to the gym after that for a run and Body Works Class...

Props to my amazing husband who has been working so hard on his online class...which he hates! He is taking a Humanities class and is learning about art and theater...not really his forte'. But he has been so committed and focused...

How do you make it through a long and gruelling task that you DO NOT ENJOY?????

Off track...

2010-02-15T19:30:00.005-06:00

I am having a hard time dealing with my lack of exercise this week. I started feeling sick on Thursday and took a half day off from work. I didn't go to class on Monday because of all the snow. I didn't go Saturday morning because I was still feeling icky. I ran this morning and could barely keep my legs moving...I was SOOOOO tired! I ran a mile and did 30 minutes on the crossramp. I was going to go to class tonight at 7, but again, was sooooo tired. I really want to get over this cold and get back to getting ready for my 5k.

I am on a training plan now and getting sick is not part of the plan. If you know me, you know that when I make a plan, I like to stick to it. I have been working so hard at getting to the gym 4-5 times a week and this last week was quite a set-back.

I WILL go to the gym tomorrow after work. I will run and then do the crossramp. I will go to class Wednesday night.

This sickness will not take another week from me...

Caitlin, at Healthytippingpoint.com said that if you want to make something a habit, you should do it for 2 months. I am almost at my two month mark (February 21) and I can tell already that it is a habit. When I don't or can't go, I am really disappointed! I am no longer making excuses to NOT go. I am finding myself making sacrifices in my life so that I CAN go...

Let's hope this sickness is just a small bump in the road...

The Oatmeal Experiment

2010-02-15T11:57:00.004-06:00

Everyone is eating Oatmeal and LOVING it! I haven't found that love yet...I am still looking and trying!

This morning, I tried something new...My oatmeal had

* 1 cup of milk

* 1/2 cup Old Fashioned oats

I boiled the milk and then added the oats. After 5 minutes, I could tell they were getting mushy...however, there was still a lot of liquid in the pan. I poured the oats into a bowl.

I added Chunky Peanut Butter, a handful of Chocolate Chips, a swirl of Agave Nectar, and 1/2 banana.

Still pretty liquidy...but I ate it anyways and was left with this

I followed the instructions I had. Next time, I will use less milk.

Verdict: The oats were really good...I loved the addition of the peanut butter!!