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Thursday, April 28, 2011

What the...

Hello!  Happy Thursday.  Today is like my Friday because I'm off from work tomorrow.  However, if I told you the amount of things I have to do between today and tomorrow, you'd probably choose to go to work.  It's M-Day, as in moving. Not fun.  It should be exciting, but it's not.  It will be...just not yet.

Last night I treated myself to dinner and drinks with a good friend who I don't see nearly enough.  Yes, I should have been packing, but who cares?  Julio stopped by for a drink so they could meet each other.  What came up in conversation?  The magnetic bracelet that he was wearing.  You know what I'm talking about...this sort of thing.
You've probably seen those infomercials and thought "no way".  I know I did!

Julio was a skeptic until he was at his dad's house and he had one and they all tried out the tests for themselves.  Even after he told me the results, I was still skeptical.  So he bought one for himself and one for me.

Last night when I got home I decided it was time to test it out.  Full disclosure: I had a couple of drinks at dinner so I figured my balance might be a little off.  All the tests involve me standing still and him trying to pull me down.  In one I stand with my hands grasped behind me, he puts his hands in to mine and pushes down, which causes me to lose my balance and fall back a bit.  However once he put the bracelet on me, I was able to resist him more and not tip.  It was seriously WEIRD.  I figured he was messing with me so I decided to try it out on him.  It still worked.  I don't get it!

So now I'm wearing one of these stupid bracelets and waiting to see what all the hype is about.  I get the balance thing, but since it's not like I'm falling down normally, I don't really see the point.  he told me I'd sleep better, I didn't.  He told me I'd feel centered, I don't.


So tell me, are you on the bandwagon?  If so, why?  If  not, why?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

New day, new class

Happy hump day y'all!!  :)

I'm glad it's Wednesday for a few reasons.  First, I'm seeing my awesome friend D tonight, and second, it's one day closer to Friday (and I'm off Friday, so today is kind of like my Thursday).  Friday is moving day (not looking forward to that) and my cabinets are finally being delivered.  So excited to see progress on the never ending renovation!

I got a good amount of packing done last night (I opted out of the gym), but still have quite a bit to do.  I know it will all get done because it HAS TO.

Since plans tonight will keep me away from the gym I woke up bright and early and hit the gym pre-work.  I took a class called Tread and Shed.  I saw it on Monday and wasn't overly impressed, but decided to give it a try.  Essentially it's an interval class done on a treadmill. 

I'd say there were 12-15 people.  The instructor has a mic and her own music (which is a little odd since the treadmills you use are right there with the rest of the cardio equipment).  Since every one is on their own machine, they can work at their own level.  She used the concept of 4 zones, with zone 4 being your all-out max.  We mixed it up with speed work as well as with hill work.

It was 30 minutes and went by pretty quickly. I should have paid closer attention to my stats post class, but I didn't. I pushed myself to run/jog for most of the class, but many just walked/speed walked.  Overall I give her class a thumbs up.  She had good music and was high energy.  Most of her songs were songs I use in spin (always a good thing!).

After that was a Belly, Butt, and Thighs class, but I decided to skip it since I've got Spin tomorrow and then the 5K on Saturday.  Instead I opted to do some upper body stuff.  It all felt very good!

While warming up, I ran in to one of my old Monday spin guys.  He wasn't there the day I announced that I was leaving, so he came up to me all "what happened??".  Once I explained, he understood, but said that he loved my class and really misses it.  It was very nice to hear that.  It's unfortunate to me that the members had to suffer.  Yes, I could have kept the class, but then I'd be the one suffering.  There was no easy answer.  The irony is that the position I had a conflict with is being eliminated mid-May, so I guess we'll see what happens then.

Time to work.  Have a fabulous Wednesday!!

Tasty

My sister hates when I use the word tasty.

I got a sample of Cascadian Farm Organic dark chocolate almond granola in my Spin Odyssey bag (actually 3).  Yesterday morning I had no clue of what to eat for breakfast so I decided to give this a try in my yogurt.  I wasn't sure how it would go since I don't think of chocolate and yogurt together, but it was worth a shot.

The verdict?  Quite tasty. :)

3/4 cup has 210 calories which is a tad more than I like in my breakfast cereal, but the sample box contained less than that.

The stats (in 3/4 cup):
210 calories
4.5g fat
160mg sodium
4g dietary fiber (yay!)
14g sugar
4g protein

A touch more sugar than ideal, but I find that's often times the case with granola.

If you have portion control, I say give it a try!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A bit sore

I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm a little sore today since I wasn't expecting much from my 30 minute TRX class.

However, I'm pretty much just sore in my abs, which is pretty awesome since I only did a 30 second plank and then 8-10 pikes.  Pikes are tough, so I'm sure that's what did it, but still...nice.

Guess the one exercise per body part didn't really do the trick.

If my schedule allows, I may try the class again this week and this time I'm going to try to kick my own butt by pushing as hard as I can.  Stay tuned.

For tonight's workout, I'm conflicted.  I really NEED to pack, but I really WANT to box.  The class isn't until 7 so I could go home and pack for an hour pre-class, but don't see myself making it to class if I did that.  On the flip side the class doesn't end until 8ish so I won't be home until late at which point i'll still need to eat dinner.  Hrmph.  Guess maybe the class isn't in the cards. :(

In other news...my 5K is in four days and I've run over 3 miles once.  Should be interesting.  Maybe a run tonight??

Shout Out!

I need some new blogs to read.

Any suggestions?  They don't have to be fitness related, they just have to be interesting and updated somewhat regularly.

Any faves?

Monday, April 25, 2011

Confession time

I haven't confessed in a while, which must mean I've been perfect.  Not! (OK, I clearly just regressed to elementary school.)

So here's my latest confession, which I'm kind of excited about at the same time...

I spent a ridiculous amount of money on Saturday on a blender.  Yup, a blender.  But not any old blender, a VITAMIX!

This blender is the Rolls Royce of blenders.  But because it was so expensive, I'm having a bit of buyers remorse, even though I have heard from everyone who owns one that these things are the cats meow.

If you have one, please tell me how wonderful they are and make me feel a bit better. 

TRX Marks the spot

Good morning and happy Monday!

I hope your weekends were great and your holidays nice (if you celebrate).

My (long) weekend was nice, yet it somehow still felt too short.   Thursday night my class was empty.  I had 3 people, yuck.  But we all worked hard so it was OK and then I didn't feel quite as guilty meeting up with friends for a few drinks.  Friday was super productive with lots of condo related errands.  I picked up my new baby (see right) and then ran around like a crazy person.  
Saturday was uneventful. 
Sunday I went to a Mets game, which was great.  The weather cooperated (in fact it was sunny and HOT for the first half), and even more exciting was the fact that the Mets won (4 in a row baby!).

So back to the title of this post.  This morning I woke up bright and early to head to a new gym and try a new class.

Several months ago, I joined Crunch (an NYC gym that opened a location in CT).  It took forever for them to open, but it finally happened.  The main reason I joined was for a class using the TRX which was included in membership.  My other gyms have it, but it's a small group training class and there is a fee.

So I finally made it this morning.  It was OK.  I do feel like I got a decent strength training workout, however the class is only 30 minutes long, and I feel that is too short.  It was pretty  much one exercise for each muscle and I would have liked more.  I will likely take the class again, but it will have to be part of my strength training, not the whole thing.

Adjusting to a new gym is tough.  I'm so used to my other gyms that this left me a bit disappointed.  My first complaint was that there were no tissues.  I'm a nose runner.  Second, they don't give towels.  I'm just spoiled in that area since NYSC does. I showered there before work and had to bring a gym towel and a shower towel.  If I did that everyday, my laundry would be out of control.  Lastly, I just can't understand joining a gym without spinning, but I'm biased. :)

Right now I give it a solid OK, but since it's really inexpensive and close by, I will stick with it.

And now let's bang out this Monday!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Here I am

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a few days, but life just got in the way.  The nerve!

Blogger doesn't always like when I schedule posts, so as usual it "forgot" to put up one of my posts.  Scroll down to the laughter post if you want to smile today. 

I'm so excited about having Friday off that Thursday can't possibly get here soon enough.

This week has been a bit frustrating gym wise.  I did teach on Monday but haven't stepped foot in the gym since.  Yesterday I was home with the family, then this morning I had every intention to get up early and go for a run, yet when the alarm went off, I just wasn't feeling it, so back to bed I went. :)  Tonight some people are coming to look at my apartment, so hopefully that doesn't run too late and I can do something afterwards.

I'm teaching tomorrow, so at least I know that will force me to work out.  I need to get back in to my groove.  Just call me Stella!  (or a dork)

So yeah, I'm boring right now.  Will work on something interesting to say for later today.  But in the mean time, hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go!

Monday, April 18, 2011

I forgot to put a subject (so this will have to do)

Welcome to Monday folks, another week is getting started.  However, I'm happy to say that it's a four day week for me since we're closed for Good Friday.  I haven't had a day off since New Year's.  So excited!

Hope your weekends were splendid.

My weekend was good, went down to NY to visit with the family.

But first, Saturday morning I taught, and was back on the bike!  It was my first time on the bike in almost two weeks, and it felt GOOD.  Although the break wasn't voluntary, sometimes it is really nice to take a break, since when you return it feels great.

Friday night I tried to put together a new spin ride.  Unfortunately it just wasn't happening.  I've had serious spinner's block the past few weeks (not to mention no free time).  I need to work on this.  Any GREAT song recommendations?

This morning was my last 6am class since due to all the issues at the club, I decided to give it up.  It was bittersweet.  I know I'm doing the right thing for me, but I felt bad leaving some great riders.  Who knows what the future holds and hopefully our paths will cross again.

So that's about it.  The 5K is in 12 days, and vacation is in 26.  :)

Make it a great week!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

It's really Friday!

Today is a busy day, but that's OK as it will only make the work day move that much faster.  Lots to get done!

For lunch I swung by a make-your-own salad place and created what may be the strangest combination I've put together yet.  Usually I stick to some sort of theme and the flavors just flow.  Today, not so much.  Don't get me wrong, it tastes fine, it's just odd.  But since they're all items I like solo, I'm going with it.


In today's lunch..
Greens, yellow beets, peas, egg, bacon, and golden raisins
Plus for some reason I went with raspberry vinaigrette

Oh well!

Have a great Friday and a fun weekend!!

On a side note, almost every part of my body is a bit sore from the run yesterday.  It stinks, but at the same time I'm LOVING IT.  I love feeling sore, it just makes me feel like I'm doing good things for my body.

Trying out a new gym tonight, so we'll see how it goes.

Laugh of the day

If you haven't already seen this site, you MUST check it out for a good laugh.

http://www.fyouautocorrect.com/

I've been sitting at my desk laughing OUT LOUD. 

Some make you cringe, but others just make you crack up.

Enjoy!!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

I'm ba-ack!!

Good morning readers!!

Yesterday ended nicely with a visit to the doctor, who told me I can resume my normal life.  Woo hoo!  I'll go see him again before vaca, but he seemed confident that I was on the mend.  Woo hoo! (again)

Last night I had someone from Craigslist come by to buy a chair I'm selling, and she was just proof that not everyone who responds to items on craigslist is crazy. She was a young grandmother and soooo sweet, so I felt better parting with the chair knowing where it was going.  Then after a friend of a friend came to look at my apartment.  Those two activities pushed me to clean up a bit, which was badly needed.

This morning...I RAN!!!

Carlos (or whatever I'm calling him) asked me to set the alarm for 5:20, which I did.  At which point he said something along the lines of  "I'm definitely not going to class", but it was perfect because it let me doze for another 30 minutes or so and then get up and run.

It was about 48 degrees in NYC when I headed out (so probably a bit cooler by me).  It was leisurely and quite nice.  My goal was to run without stopping, which I did.  I don't usually have a set path, rather just see where the run takes me and then check my mileage when I get home.  However I do always time myself so I have a rough estimate of how far I've gone.  (I can do anywhere from 10-12 minute miles.)

I was running for about 37 minutes, so I figured that was between 2-3 miles, especially since I was RUSTY.  When I clocked the route in to Map My Run, it came up as 3.28 (yes, it's 11+ minute miles, but whatever!).  Nice!  That's more than my 5K distance which means that as I hoped, the race shouldn't be an issue.  Phew.

So the day is off to a good start.

Lots to do plus an 8 Minute event tonight.  Time to get slammin'.  (not even sure what that means, it just came out)

Have a great Thursday!!


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

He has a name

I'm tired of calling my boyfriend "the friend".

Therefore, I've decided that going forward, his name will be....

Santana...or maybe Don Juan, Dante, or Carlos.

Any faves?

My reward

I haven't been drinking enough water, so at lunch, my reward for finishing my water is that I get to drink this.

Well, not the whole case, but you get the idea.  I LOVE this stuff!

By the way, lunch was going to be a very modified semi-healthy meatball hero.  I had turkey/chicken meantballs that the friend made last night, put them in some sauce, and was going to enjoy them on a sandwich flat.  That is however, until I opened the sandwich flat bag and found mold.  Ewww.  So I had a meatball hero minus the hero.

Now, bring on that soda!

Pent up vent

Happy hump day!  :)

Quite a few things have been annoying me the past few days, but for most of them, I can't do much about them, so I'm trying not to dwell.  For one issue, I can take action, I'm just not sure if I should.

For a little while now, I've been having some issues with the individual in charge of the group exercise team at one of my gyms.  Let's call this person Charlie. Charlie has never bothered to say hello when we cross paths.  Plus, a few weeks ago, I was in a dire situation and couldn't get sub, so Charlie said if he/she couldn't find anyone that he/she would cover the class.   The next week I found out that no one showed for the class.  I confronted Charlie about this and was told that the class had been subbed out to "someone else" and that that person didn't show. (I think I might have mentioned this incident before.)

Last week one of the members was circulating a petition to add back a class that had been removed from the schedule.  After hearing the members reasoning and having experienced similar frustrations myself (as a member), I signed the petition.  Apparently this was a big no-no.  I get that now.  I am an employee and therefore I should always agree with management even if I don't.  And you know what?  I would, if I felt that management had kept the employees up to date with the changes and respected our input.

So now I'm in "trouble" and Charlie wants to talk to me.  Lovely.

I teach spin because I absolutely LOVE it.  I'm passionate about it and I love to share that enthusiasm with others. I don't do it for the money or because I need the work.  Therefore when issues arise that cause headaches and make me dread going to the club, something needs to change.  If you are going to treat me poorly, then I'm going to stop teaching at your club.  I'm teaching because I enjoy it, so if you make me not enjoy it, I'm not going to continue.

I haven't made any decisions yet and am trying to determine if I'm being a baby, looking for an excuse to get out, or just standing up for myself.

I'm not really looking for advice, but am curious as to whether anyone else has been in a similar situation.  If so, I'd love to hear how you handled it.  It doesn't need to be fitness related, but really just related to having someone make you not love something you once loved.  (Does that sentence even make sense??)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Deadlifts with 1,000 lbs

Good morning!

Lovely, right?
Happy Tuesday!  I was out of the house bright and early this morning and it was quite nice out.  But unfortunately today is one of those days where the temperature falls as the day goes on.  It just doesn't make sense.

I am happy to say that I did a little cardio last night!  The friend and I hit up a nearby track and did some walking/jogging.  It was a lovely night, mild weather, and the sun was just starting to set, so there were some beautiful colors in the sky.  Plus since it was the first nice day in a while, lots of people (and dogs) were out. I only jogged about .5-.75 of a mile, but that's OK since I wasn't supposed to be doing any jogging, but it felt good and when it started to feel off, I stopped.  It just felt so good to move.  I've deifnitely had the running itch and hate that I can't scratch it.

This morning I had the pleasure of picking up my tile.  Someone loaded it in to my little car and then I took off to head to work.  Well, the car was so weighed down that I didn't like how it was driving and just couldn't leave it that way all day, so I made a detour to the condo to unload.

Since I didn't load the car up, I wasn't sure what I was dealing with.  Let's just say holy crap (since that sort of sums it up).  I think each box of kitchen tile weighed about 50 lbs, and there were 23 of them!  That's 1,150 lbs, not counting the other boxes of tile that I also had to move.  Moving them from the trunk to the floor of the basement was very similar to doing a deadlift.  However, I don't usually curse when I lift.  I tried to keep good form so I wouldn't hurt my back, but there's really no good way to get a 50lb box out of the farthest depths of your trunk only to put it down on the floor.  I know my back will be sore, but at least it won't be injured (hopefully).

I'm just glad it's out of my car.  I think my car was appreciative too!

I am going to try to hit the gym tonight for some light cardio and upper body work.  Fingers crossed!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Somehow it always ends up being Monday again.  How/why does that happen? :)

My weekend was nice.  Quite nice in fact.

Friday night was low key.  I focused on tidying up a bit and packing a few things.  Then I refreshed a spin ride (as opposed to starting from scratch).  Saturday I taught, then my parents came up for a visit.  Lots of errands and running around with them (bought a bathtub and two bathroom vanities!).  Saturday night my friend cooked dinner for us.  We chowed on very delicious paella.  He's an amazing cook!  Sunday was very un-Sunday like.  Left the house a bit after 10a and didn't get home until almost 6!  Lots of errands with no purchases (aside from a cannoli (sp?? so not Italian) and some cupcakes).

Back to the spin thang.  Like I said, I refreshed a ride.  I'm sure you can guess what I mean, but just in case, I'll take an older ride and swap out some songs to bring it back to life.  I think I switched out four, although I'm drawing a blank on one of them.  I added Katy Perry and Kanye's ET (great song for a heavy climb), Witchcraft by Pendulum (I feel like I was the last spin instructor to use this song), and Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz (not a new song, but still a good one).

It was a good ride and teaching off the bike went well.  As I expected they were just happy to have 23 bikes instead of the usual 22.  Again, it got cold, plus this time I felt a little silly just standing on the pedestal, but all good.  They rocked it! (and so did I!)

And here we are at Monday.  I'm supposed to meet up with a friend this evening, so hopefully that works out.  I miss the gym and really hope that the follow-up doctor's appointment on Wednesday has a good outcome.  Fingers crossed!

Friday, April 8, 2011

finally Friday

I am SO happy that it's FRIDAY!

Isn't it weird how a week can feel both long and short at the same time?  It's been an interesting week and I'm glad it's over.

Taught last night, off the bike.  I will admit, I was nervous.  I've had minor injuries that have kept me from riding the whole time, but I've never had to do the entire class off the bike.  It was a smaller group, all repeat riders, so I think that helped.  Even though I didn't give details, they were sympathetic.

I did a nice hills/intervals ride, so there was a need for lots of cuing as you weren't doing one thing for too long.  I think that helped.  One of my rides has a 25-30 minute standing climb and I think that coaching a ride like that off the bike would be very challenging.  After class a few people told me I did well, which I really appreciated.

One thing I never noticed is that it gets COLD in that room when you aren't riding.  In capri pants and a fleece, I was cold.  My hands were frigid.

Saturday I'll be off the bike too, but since that class is packed, they'll just be happy to have access to another bike.

While I try my hardest to stay positive and upbeat, I am noticeably stressed and nervous about one thing.  I hope it doesn't sound too shallow, but I'm really nervous about weight gain.  As someone who spins hard 3 days a week and works out at least another 2, having to dial it back is freaking me out.  I'm just really afraid that this week will leave me heavier, and that is not OK.  So I am trying my hardest to modify my diet a bit this week, incorporating some weight watchers principles in and attempting to load my plate up with fruit and veggies whenever possible.  I just hope that next week I can get back to working out.

Have you ever been laid up?  What did you do to prevent the gain?

On that note, time to work.  Have a great weekend and if you're in the NE, enjoy the slightly warmer weather this weekend.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

This just in

I should probably quit my job right now and enroll in medical school immediately, since with some random symptoms, I managed to diagnose myself correctly.

Not to go all female/TMI on you, but I have an ovarian cyst.  Enough said, will just see how this one plays out.  I was given a prescription for vicodin. Seriously??

I was told that I can't run/spin or do anything rigorous.  I can maybe do some lower body stuff but otherwise will stick to basic upper body stuff and maybe walking.  Stinks.  Follow up appointment next week and will see what he says.  I wonder if I can do abs...

Tonight and Saturday I'll be teaching off the bike.  I'm trying to sub out my Monday morning class since at 6am I can't imagine being energetic enough off the bike to motivate that class.

As I've always seen...the best laid plans often go astray.  Or...we make plans, god laughs.  Same idea for both.  (ever notice how much the word astray looks like ashtray??)

Guess I'll use this extra time to pack since I'm moving in about two weeks and haven't done a thing.

On a side note, I got an email for discounted entry to the Tunnel to Tower Race in NYC in September.  This is another race that I've wanted to do for a while, so I'm thinking I may just sign up for it.  I'm guessing my first 5K will be a good experience (if I can participate) and I'll want to do more.

Do any of you have recommendations for gym pants that don't cost a fortune?  I had great success with the Gap but now that they changed their styles I haven't been so lucky.  I can't say why, but gym bottoms are so hard to buy for me.  I know people love Lulu, but I just can't rationalize spending that money.  I like fitted capris, so any suggestions are welcome.

Now...to work I go!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

What is wrong with me?

I don't recommend doing this, but I did a little Googling of my symptoms yesterday.  They say this is the surefire way to convince yourself that you're dying when you only have a paper cut (slight exaggeration).  However, I am the farthest thing from a hypochondriac and therefore just use the Internet as a source for information.  I also know not to trust most sites, but http://www.mayoclinic.com/ is not one of those.  This is a reliable well known medical institution and if you must search online, go here.

That said, I have a doctors appointment today at 3.  A few of my symptoms matched up to a possible gyno related issue, so that will be my starting point.

Since the hip pain was present regardless of whether I was sitting/standing/walking, I realized that it might not be injury related.  Plus as I had mentioned, it all along felt like a strange persistant female issue cramp.

Guess we'll see what happens.  Meanwhile I took 2 Aleve this morning (2 doses of 3 Advil yesterday did nothing so I figured I'd try the Aleve again), nothing yet, but it's only been about 45 minutes.

So obviously there we no run this morning, which is actually OK since I believe the temperature was in the 30s.  No gym last night, no run this morning, not good.  But when your body is telling you something, you really should listen.

Happily it's hump day and once today is over, the week can start to wind down.  Yay!

Have a great day!!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Pop-tastic!!

I'm excited to introduce you to my obsession of the moment..... (drum roll please)



Popcorners!!

Seriously, these chips are amazing (and I don't even like popcorn!).  The sea salt variety is good, but the Jalapeno Cheddar (the green one) is seriously off the hook.  That's not an expression I normally use, so they must be really good.

The large bag has 5 one ounce servings.  Each serving is 130 calories.  There is some fat, about 6g per serving.  But really, so worth it and still way better than a chip chip.

I'm not sure if they're sold in all supermarkets, but look for them, in my opinion they're worth it.
Click here to find a store near you.

I've got a fever

JAMAICA FEVER!

I am so desperately ready for this vacation that I read reviews a couple times a week on Trip Advisor and look at pictures that people have posted.  I just can not wait to get away to warm weather and relaxation.

True, many things have to happen before that, but still, I'm ready now, and it's like a small light at the end of a long tunnel.

Demo day 1 went well, but it seems like this process is going to take a VERY long time.  It will hopefully be done by June.  How crazy?  The tile lady told me Wednesday/Thursday yet when I called today she said she was seeing a date of 4/10, which is Sunday!  She said it might come in early.  I certainly hope so.

That aside, I'm hoping to get to boxing tonight but am dealing with severe hip pain.  Seriously?  It's very odd and very painful and almost feels like a cross between very bad cramps and hip pain, so it has me stumped.  All I know is that I took 3 Advil this morning and that has done NOTHING.  :(

Hopefully I can overcome!

I confessed to my sister the marathon runner that I haven't done any training for the 5K and she told me that I'd be just fine.  I hope she's right!  If my old lady hip is better, I'm thinking an early morning jog tomorrow morning might be in store.

Well, I need to find some focus and motivation.  Have a good Tuesday and I'll catch y'all in a bit.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Oatmeal Raisin "cookie"


This is not your traditional cookie.  It's almost more of a granola bar but in cookie form.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, my friend did not like them.  I did.  I don't mind if something tastes healthy, in fact, I kind of like it.

I made a few modifications to the recipe and indicated them below.  Click on the link for the original source as he/she makes some interesting comments about the reasoning behind certain ingredients.
Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1/4 cup Splenda granular
1/4 cup orange juice
1 egg whites
1 tablespoon Dry Milk, Nonfat (did not use this)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Added about 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice (didn't use this)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat Oven to 375°F.
Add together the splenda, orange juice, egg white, dry milk powder, applesauce and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Then mix well.
Add in salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon and all-spice. Then mix well.
Add in the flour and mix well.
Add in old fashioned oat gradually, mixing well.
Add in raisins to the mixture, ensuring that they are spread throughout evenly.
Add in chocolate chips, almonds, or other added ingredients while making sure that they spread evenly throughout the mixture. (Optional.)
With a teaspoon, spoon out mixture onto a non-stick cookie sheet about the size of a quarter.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly brown on the bottom

Just a heads up that they won't look overly cooked.  But since the only raw ingredient that needs cooking is an egg white, you should be fine after baking them for 10 minutes.

If you try them, let me know what you think.

Monday morning!!

Even at 5:30am, while it was still dark, the day felt better.  The weather was milder and the birds were chirping away like crazy.  I find that such a pleasant thing to hear when you are awake at what most consider an ungodly hour. It makes getting up early almost worth it.  Which leads me to how much I love being awake before the world wakes up.  Odd since I'm not really a morning person, but it's very peaceful and cool.  So I'm thinking it might be in the cards to start with some early morning runs (once it's warm enough).  I'd love to head out right before daybreak and be out as the sky starts to light up.  Love.

I did the same class this morning as on Saturday since I have no repeat riders.  I used the song "One More Time" (can't think of the artist) and played this "game" where you add resistance whenever they say "one more time", which is a lot.  When you max out, you can then take a little off each time they say it.  So in essence, you can only change your resistance when they say those magical words.  It seemed to go over well on Saturday but this morning they didn't seem to love it.  Maybe because it requires a little thought on their part and it was just too early.  Oh well.

My weekend was fun and productive, what a combo!  Saturday I bought almost all of my tile (kitchen and bathroom) and Sunday I bought a fan for my kitchen and my backsplash.  Closer by the day.  Demo starts today, so I'll probably share some photos.

Go HUSKIES!  Nice win on Saturday night, fingers crossed for tonight.

Remember I mentioned that my back was hurting?  Well it got better, then at the tile store it started to hurt again.  Since I wasn't doing anything strenuous at the time, a light bulb went off.  This darn back pain isn't from an injury, it's from stress/tension.  Now it all makes sense since I really didn't think I had hurt myself.  I'm glad I know the cause, but that doesn't make it any easier to make it go away.

I made a loosely defined version of oatmeal raisin cookies (VERY healthy!) and will share that recipe later today.  I brought some in as a snack so hopefully they still taste good.  My friend thought they stunk, but I liked them.

So I'll catch ya in a few hours.  Happy demolition Monday!!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Much better

Good morning!

I'm so happy it's Friday!  Yes, it's rainy and gray and parts of the Northeast are getting hit with snow, but still, it's Friday, and April.  Moving right along!

I was back at the gym last night.  Woohooo!!  My energy level was a little low, but it felt really good and I did feel better when I woke up this morning. I'm a bit sore, but that's OK and way better than being achy.

I taught at 6:30 but had a little extra time to do my own thing, so I made up a little routine, which I will now share with you.  In all cases, aim to do as many as possible, but make sure your weight is heavy enough that 15 doesn't seem easy.  (Remember, I'm not a trainer, so this is just a suggestion and don't do any of these unless you know what you're doing, or just ask someone.)
push ups
mountain climbers (30-45 seconds)
triceps dips
bicep curls
front raises and lateral raises
bent over standing row
Repeat.  I had wanted to do this all 3 times, but ran out of time so I only managed 2.  While not overly complex, the mountain climbers and quick pace kept my heart rate up and my arms are a bit sore today.  Love that!

After class, stopped by the contractor to sign the contract and get things moving with the renovations.  Looks like the demo will start on Monday.  Exciting stuff!

Then home for dinner.  My friend threw together a tasty salad consisting of seared turkey breast with a spicy sweet Asian sauce, lettuce, peppers, and a side of sweet potato fries (baked).  Quite yummy!

This morning I saw a bunch of robins on the drive in, which always makes me smile.  I love animals in general, plus they make me think of spring.  Confession: I always say hello them when I see them. (I do the same thing with dogs.)

Speaking of animals, in the past two days I watched two different shows on TV about animals.  The first was on Animal Planet and it was about wild hogs and how they're vicious and causing many issues in the south.  It was fascinating.  I'd thought I'd never advocate killing animals, but after seeing this show, it really seems like something needs to be done.  The second was Swamp Kings (or something like that) on History.  This one was about killing alligators.  I did not like this show and stopped watching half way though.  It was really just hunting, which is fine, but I don't need to see it.  Anyone catch either of those?

OK, time to get back to work.  Have a great Friday and a fabu weekend!!