RunRettaRun

New Bloggie Address!

2010-04-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that I have moved: http://www.runrettarun.wordpress.com/. Ch-ch-check it out!

Made the Move!

2010-04-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I made the switch to Wordpress: RunRettaRun! I'm still a Wordpress Virgin so bear with me while I learn to navigate the site.

XO - Retta

Mouth Breathing

2010-04-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

Afternoon, all! I've been a tardy blogger lately! When I left work yesterday, I had to get gas before picking up the Pre-K enrollment paper work. I was seriously low. Shhhhh . . . don't tell The Lover.

By the time I got to the gas station, it said 4 miles to E. Scary. I have been super spoiled. The Lover used to fill up both of our cars but it's been so insane lately that I've had to do it myself. I got out and realized the tank was on the opposite side of the car. Wowza.

Pre-K enrollment night started at 500 PM. Each elementary school in the district gives out 40 packets. First come, first serve. I got to the school at 503 PM and was #37. Barely made it, but made it I did!

For dinner, I was craving breakfast so I made "binner."

Eggs, mushrooms, spinach and leftover potatoes (x 2.5 it was fantastic). And garlic toast on the side. Like my new plate? I hit up Target and majorly scored with their post-Easter sale! I <3 sales - especially if it's 50% (or more) off!

We had some storms going on last night and it helped me sleep so well. I love falling asleep to the sound of rain against the windows. It also made it very difficult to wake up this morning. I kept hitting snooze until 600 AM. I finally dragged my ass out of my bed and stumbled to the coffee pot. I love the person who invented the self-timer on the coffee pot! There is nothing like waking up to a hot pot of coffee.

Breakfast was divine! Pumpkin Overnight Oats -

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup rice milk
cinnamon

Mix ingredients and store in fridge overnight. I topped my oats with a diced apple and 1/4 cup of Kashi Sunshine cereal. Later, I snacked on some yogurt and strawberries.

On the agenda was at least a 4 miler (5 - 6 if I could squeeze it in) but after 2, I called it quits. Sometimes, I'm just not there. Yesterday, I had a great run and felt like I could have kept going. Today, I just couldn't hack it. It has a lot to do with being on a treadmill for the 3rd day in a row. I prefer to run outside but when I'm congested and struggling with breathing, I keep it indoors. I keep telling Donna that I'm a mouth breather today haha.

Lunch was excellent!

I had a Boca burger on a sammie thin. I smeared the thin with a wedge of Laughing Cow and topped it off with some spinach. On the side, 3 HOOGE carrots and hummus for dipping. So. Full.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute keeps calling and asking for blood donations. When I donate blood, I'm tired and blah for a week or more. We have a blood drive at work coming up in May. Is it selfish for me to put it off until then so it won't affect my training and upcoming race? Normally, I would be all about donating.

Anyhoo, the race is in 17 days! GULP. If you haven't read about the OKC Memorial Marathon, check it out! It's the 10th anniversary of the marathon but 15 years since the bombing. We have people as far as Canada and New York participate because of what happened. I cannot describe the camaradarie and the emotion in the air during this event. It's just awesome!

Negative Peeps

2010-04-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

Afternoon! Wow. This day is almost over. It's been balls to the wall, folks! Feels like I just got here. I'm going to rewind a bit . . .

For dinner, I was a tad stumped on what to make so I asked Big Boy what he wanted. He is very picky and basically loves pizza. So I decided we should do a "Make Your Own Pizza" night. There was sauce, cheese, red circles (aka, pepperoni), mushrooms, spinach and tofu to choose from. The base of the pizza was leftover naan that I had gotten from the Asian grocery store. They were in the freezer and didn't take long to thaw. (Yes, my counters are old school lol)

Big Boy in action . . . He loved it!

He made both The Lover's and his own. The Lover's has mushrooms on it.

I made mine with very little sauce, mushrooms, spinach, cheese and leftover BBQ tofu.

Dessert was Easter candy, of course! I also had some chocolate covered pretzels.

This morning started off great. Both boys were in great moods and although it was a hurried morning, it was smooth sailing. I had a Chocolate Cherry Bomb for brekkie.

2 cups fresh spinach
15 frozen sweet dark cherries
1T chocolate syrup
1 banana
1 cup rice milk
ice, ice, ice!

My new favorite! I snacked on an apple and Easter egg before heading out for a 3 mile run. I basically kept it indoors today. The wind was ridiculous and my allergies were out of whack. I woke up with some nice and sexy crusty eyes.

We also had our relay marathon meeting. We have 3 teams this year! So pumped. What, what! Though I had that awful nightmare, I'm more excited than anything. Lunch was quick and easy. I was starving and took a bite before taking a pic. Oops!

Mmmmm . . . black bean and sweet potato burgers can never be wrong. For dessert, I had chocolate Oikos with strawberries. So sinful - in a good way!

I also had some pineapple that went down the hatch - no pic sorry!

So do you know anyone that is so freaking negative? I have a few in my life and it is so frustrating. I feel like they totally bring me down. Now, I'm not Ms. Happy Rainbows 24/7 (because that would be so annoying) but I am a generally happy person. I have bad days like everyone else but oh my goodness! The constant negativity just chaps my ass. (sorry for the super country saying) And it's not just negativity towards themselves but about EVERYTHING. Is there a point when all that negativity just ends up being self-fulfilling prophecy? Honestly, I could pick up my computer and throw it against the wall. It is THAT annoying to me. I tend to want to "pump" that person up but when do you say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? When you feel that it's dragging you down as well?

Do you have Negative Peeps in your life? How do you deal? OK I must run! The Lover and I are off to get Big Boy enrolled in Pre-K. Sniff, sniff. They grow up so darn fast. It feels like I just gave birth to him and now he's 4!

Nightmares

2010-04-05T18:16:00.000-05:00

Why hello there! Hopefully your Monday has been a fast one! Mine has been great. Before Miss D and I headed out for a run, I snacked on a slice o' bread and some pineapples.

The weather was perfect for a run. Warm, slightly breezy and cloudy. My training plan called for an easy 2 miler. We definitely took it SUPER easy. Donna had injured her leg and had to rest all last week. I wanted her to ease into running so she wouldn't injure it even worse. We were able to chat and catch each other up on our Easter weekend.

My lunch was a plethora of leftovers from Easter dinner.

Buttery bread, roasted squash and zucchini, strawberry salad and BBQ tofu. My sister-in-law, Brandy, makes this AH-MAY-ZING salad that she knows I go ga-ga for. It's basically a spinach salad with sliced strawberries, sugary walnuts and sprinkles of parmesan. Oh my Heaven, it's good! I get all the yummy leftovers. To make the tofu, I pressed firm tofu for about 45 minutes, cut them into cubes, marinated them in some BBQ sauce and baked them for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. So very good!

I had to leave work early to take Baby Boy to the ear, nose and throat doctor to get his tubes checked. Looking good! After the appointment, I snacked on some malted Robin Eggs. Those things are addicting! I also had two flour tortillas. Hey, I was in a munchie mood!

On to my nightmare. Last Wednesday night, I had this terrible dream. It has stuck with me and I keep thinking about it. It's really freaking me out. Basically, I missed the day to pick up my race packet. So the morning of the race, my relay team was waiting for me while I ran to get it. I discovered I had also neglected to pack my Camelbak! While I was doing that, the team left without me, even though I was the first leg of the relay race. When I realized they had left, I also realized every single person had gone as well. So in my head, I'm thinking, "OK if I can just get at least one person behind me, that would be cool." So I'm just running with everything I have and end up burning out way early! I keep looking around and I just see hoards of people in front of me and I'm all by my lonesome. So, I'm still determined to finished the half-marathon. As I'm running, I realize that everyone had finished and downtown (where the finish line is) was clear of everyone but volunteers. The race organizers had kept all the volunteers until everyone had finished and they were extremely pissed that they were waiting for little ol' me. Then I jerked awake!!

WHAT THE HELL. I'm spazzing about this freaking dream. Obviously, I have some serious race anxiety. Our relay teams are racing for fun, not time. I'm running the first leg of the relay so I can continue on and do the half-marathon for my own goal achievement. I don't really have a set time goal in mind. I want to be able to say that I have ran a halfie and never in my wildest dreams did I ever consider myself a runner until a little over a 1.5 years ago. So it's also for personal satisfcation, you know? I. AM. FREAKING.

Sorry for the serious ramble! Have you had some pre-event jitters? How do you handle it? I'd love some pointers!

Bomb Diggity!

2010-04-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

Another "Ask Me" answer at the end of this post.

Mornin'! Hope you had a faboosh Easter weekend and ready for a new week! I am a little sleep deprived myself but nothing a little (or a lot) of coffee won't take care of. I can't believe the weekend is over already!

We had a wonderful family get together yesterday. Lots of good eats and egg hunting fun.

And of course, can't forget the Lamb Cake! (before)

After. I got a tad carried away with the powdered sugar. Oops.

I could have done a better job at taking photos! Big Boy was such a pro at hunting Easter eggs. He did not mess around at all. The Lover helped Baby Boy but out of the four grandkids, Big Boy meant some serious business. I'll have to watch him like a hawk around all that candy. Ok, ok. More like I have to keep myself from sneaking Big Boy's candy!

The kiddos were a tad hungover this morning. Neither of them wanted to wake up. Poor guys. I slept in a bit as well. Mondays are so tough but my breakfast smoothie made it all better. I've seen this floating around the blog world for awhile and recently decided to give it a whirl.

Chocolate Cherry Bomb! It looks like sludge but 'tis delish!

My CCB contained:

2 cups spinach
15 frozen sweet dark cherries
1T chocolate syrup
1 banana
1 cup rice milk
3 handfuls of ice

Sooooo good! It's a nice change from the Green Monster. Onto my "Ask Me" question.

What is the one thing you can't run without?

This is a toughie! I feel like I carry so many things with me when I go for runs. When I leave the house (or office), I carry my MP3 player, cell, key and water. I can certainly do without the player but my absolute "must have" would be my cell phone. You never know when you'll need it! There have been a couple times I've been out by myself and got a creepy vibe from someone. I totally hate when I leave without the cell.

How about you? When you head out for your bike/run/swim, what do you always have with you? Sorry this is so short but it's time to get biz-ay. Also, stay tuned . . . Blogger is making me very unhappy so I'll be switching to Wordpress soon!

Easter Traditions

2010-04-02T10:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Good Friday! I wish I could say I have the day off work but I don't. That's ok though because I'm just jazzed it's Friday. I hope the day flies by! I'm so very ready for the Easter weekend. We're looking forward to dying Easter eggs with our boys (OUTSIDE) and hunting for eggs as well. It will be exciting now that Baby Boy is bigger and is walking.

First things first! We had a very loud and wild storm breeze through this morning. Power was briefly lost and thank goodness it came back on because I hate jacking with the circuit breakers. We are also out of fruit and vegetables - a serious grocery store trip is on the agenda for the weekend. I had no clue what to make for breakfast so I stared at the open fridge and cabinets for quite some time. Then inspiration struck! I've heard of baked oatmeal but I decided to put the Retta Spin on it.

Baked Pumpkin Cranberry Crunch Oatmeal was born!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup oatmeal
1 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon
2t brown sugar
vanilla cranberry almond clusters

Pre-heat oven to 350 - 375 degrees. Prepare oatmeal according to package directions. Remove from heat. Add pumpkin puree, yogurt, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, cinnamon & crushed almond clusters. Mix well. Lightly spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Mixture will seem too moist at first. Trust me, it will be awesome! I even sprinkled some dry oats on top for a little flair. Deeeelish! Next time, I think I will try just plain dried cranberries and chopped almonds. Another view:

I wish I had a lid for my casserole dish for better travel to work but I just used foil and a pot holder. It's taken me 2 hours to eat this while I've been working. It's a good size serving - probably 1.5?

Moving on (from the yummy that is in my tummy), I'm really looking forward to this Easter holiday! I mentioned earlier that the boys are older and will really enjoy coloring and hunting for eggs. FUN! I also look forward to making my annual Lamb Cake! It's not what you think. When we were kids, my mom had a cake pan in the shape of a lamb. She would bake the cake every Easter. After icing the cake, she would use shredded coconut for the "wool" and color the coconut for "grass". Over the years, the cake pan was lost.

I told my mother-in-law about the tradition and she surprised me with a lamb cake pan of my very own! (Insert collective "awwwwww" here) I've made my version of the lamb cake for 4 or 5 - maybe 6? - years now. I love doing it even more now that we have children of our own. It's cheesy but that's how I roll.

This was last year's:

It's kind of creepy in the face but it's tasty! I still need to work on my decorating skills haha. I love family traditions!

Do you have Easter family traditions you'd like to share? We typically do separate dinners my side and The Lover's side but we're just doing one this weekend. My side is postponed until next weekend.

2 Legit 2 Quit

2010-04-01T09:16:00.000-05:00

Hey, heyyyyyyyyy! Who remembers that song by MC Hammer? I am doing the Hammer dance as I type this. All I am missing are my Hammer pants. Yep, I totally had the Hammer pants! I heard "2 Legit" on the radio this morning and I was jamming. (Another "Ask Me" answer at the bottom of post!)

OK total tangent lol. Anyhoo, yesterday recap first. I got a wonderful 4 miler in and I'm not sure if it was because I was wearing my running skirt but I was really in the groove. I had fewer allergy-induced coughing breaks. It was a "dreadmill" run. Still windy in OK-Sizzle.

Lunch was a simple cuke and Laughing Cow Swiss sammich with grapes on the side.

I also snacked on some Oikos Honey yogurt.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I think my eats need some tweaking. I was ravenous yesterday! I just couldn't seem to get satisfied. So when that crazy ass hunger hit, I ended up going loco on my dinner.

Seriously, I had 3 servings and ended up getting beyond full. I was SO hungry. My quick stir fry contained:

baby corn
water chestnuts
noodles
green onions
fried tofu
soy sauce

This morning, I woke up not feeling super hungry but I still prepared a filling brekkie to take to work. I'm going to experiment and see if I need more protein or what the dealio is.

I promise it's not just a big bowl of apples :0). My refreshing and cool breakfast contains:

1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 diced apple
1/2 cup Kashi Sunshine cereal
1T coconut (of course!)
4 chopped almonds

Let's see if this holds me over well! OK on to the "Ask Me" question:

"How do you work out during the day without getting sweaty and disgusting?"

I DO get sweaty and disgusting! Since I work out/run on my lunch break, I usually just wear my hair in a pony and call it good. My secret weapon: Baby Wipes. Yep, it's a shower in a bag (basically). I also pack my deo and body spray. After a run, I'll wipe off all my make up except my eyes. If I have a meeting afterward, I'll touch up with some power but if not, I usually just go face-commando. Or should I say "skin commando?" As soon as I get home and get the boys settled, I take a shower and get so fresh and so clean-clean. Yes, it is kinda yucky that I don't get a complete shower after my run but eh. I do what I have to lol!

For you peeps that work out during the work (or school) day, what do you do? Or are you lucky and have showers at work? JEALOUS!!

Hump Day Happies

2010-03-31T10:45:00.000-05:00

Goooooood morning! How are you this morning? I feel awesome - albeit congested but it's getting better! First things first, recap to last night's dinneroo. Also, another "Ask Me" answer at the end!

For The Lover and the boys, I made pork chops with apricot and tomato chutney. (my measurements are guesses!)

Ingredients:

2 - 3 pork chops
1 can diced/crushed tomatoes
apricot preserves
red pepper flakes
thyme
S&P

I started by heating some oil (a bit less than 1T) in a skillet. Then sprinke S&P on the pork. Place chops in skillet to brown until you get a nice, brown crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To the skillet, add a can of crushed tomatoes. My favorite brand is Hunt's Fire Roasted w/ Garlic. :) For just two chops, I didn't use the whole can. I saved about 1/4 cup for part of my dinner.

Add apricot preserves, red pepper flakes and thyme to the skillet. Bring to medium heat (you need some boiling action but not too much). Stir mixture and scrape up bit of chop left in skillet. Reduce the mixture until it's a thick, chutney (or salsa-like) consistency. Top your chops with the chutney and bake for about 10 minutes.

It's always a hit at our house. For my dinneroo, I was craving breakfast! I made a simple baguette pizza topped with scrambled eggs, diced tomatoes and shredded cheddahhhh. I had both!

I am totally out of spinach. Boohoo. I didn't mind too much since I was stahving this morning. Luckily I had made Overnight Oats. I was SO ready to eat this beast when I got to work.

Overnight Oats were prepared with:

1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 soy milk
1/2 cup dry oatmeal

Mix ingredients well and store in fridge overnight. The fun part is you can add anything your little heart desires to it! Mine were topped with 1T of shredded coconut, a sliced banana and a few hunks of almond cranberry vanilla clusters. Divine!!

On to the next question: "exactly how much weight do you think you've lost?"

I've lost between 40 - 50 pounds over the course of a 15 months-ish. Slow and steady, baby!

EEEEEK! I have a disgruntled employee coming to see me. Wish me luck! And a question for you: Do you get along with your neighbors? We have great neighbors. They are currently speculating on our sex life? Since we got bunk beds for the boys, they think we're trying for a girl now. That makes me laugh! And scares me a little bahahaha.

Dilemmas

2010-03-30T13:02:00.000-05:00

Whew! It's pretty warm in the OK-Sizzle today! Currently 72 degrees (LOVE IT) but the wind is blowing at 25 mph. Killer.

So this morning both boys were in great moods. It makes for a wonderful day, I'm tellin' ya. The only glitch was when Baby Boy planted his foot in his toxic diaper. Big Boy had a big laugh over that. It was pretty funny but gross.

Can you guess what I had for breakfast? Yep, a GM fixed the usual way. I know it's boring but it is really satisfying and holds me over for hours! Not only that but it takes almost no time to make and travels well. I do the the occasional green speck in my teeth but that's why I keep a toothbrush at work. Haha.

My run was a little earlier than usual today. I kept it indoors since the wind was a bit crazy and I wanted to last longer than a 1/4 mile before hacking. I did super well until the 2 mile mark. I thought I would be fancy and throw some speedwork in there and that was my downfall. I kept up the speedwork with a few breaks to ~~cough~~ catch my breath. I got 4 miles in today and it was a nice and sweaty sesh!

Lunch is super simple and satisfying.

apple & Swiss sammich
cukes & tomato salad on the side

There is an oily shine to my bread because I nuked the cheese for a tad too long. Oops! I brought some grapes for dessert but they may have to be for a snack later.

Onto my dilemma: For you Blogger users, do you have issues with your pictures uploading correctly? Yesterday, I had so many issues! Not only that but on a daily basis, Blogger turns my pics sideways even when it was uploaded from my camera correctly.

I've also noticed that when I comment on Wordpress users' blogs, no issue. I've been told that when people try to comment on mine, they are prompted to sign up for a Google account. Annoying!

Anyhoo, what do you think? Blogger or Wordpress? I am tempted to switch! OK off to fix my hot mess of a face and hair before my meeting. Have a faboosh day!

A For Effort & An "Ask Me" Answer

2010-03-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

It is an absolutely gorgeous day today. I was so pumped to lace up my shoes and hit the road for a 4 miler. However, not even 1/4 mile later, I'm huffing and puffing. W.T.H. I'm sure I looked awesome bent over and hacking in front of the office lol. I pounded out 2 miles - with a few lung rattling coughing breaks thrown in there - and headed back. Hopefully the doctor will call me back soon. Benadryl, you are not cutting it for me! It still felt great getting out and getting my run on though!

Pre-run snack were grapes and come chocolate mint tea.

For lunchie, I'm having leftovers. But VERY delish leftovers.

tomato & lentil cous cous
steamed broccoli
chickpeas

Throw them together in a bowl. Easy, peasy. For dessert, I'm having Oikos Chocolate flavored yogurt. Jealous? LOL.

My first question (I broke it down into 3 parts): "i want to know your AHA moment!"

I addressed my "aha" moment a bit in this post. I always knew what I should or shouldn't be doing to lose weight/get healthy. But I never truly felt ready to tackle my unhealthy habits until after I had Baby Boy in 2008. It's actually a little funny because most people assumed my new love of running was because I was a few months shy of turning 30. Like, maybe it was a mini mid-life crisis? But no matter who tells you that you need to get your act together or how much you tell yourself, you have to be completely READY to tackle those bad habits and form good ones. I realized after years of struggling with weight and poor body image that you CANNOT overhaul everything in one day. Past Retta had to learn in baby steps to tackle one thing at a time.

I started slowly by keeping a food journal. I was breastfeeding Baby Boy so I didn't want to do anything crazy and drastic by slashing calories. I kept it around 2000 for the day. I'll be honest. When I started the journal, I didn't care about the quality of food as long as I stayed at our around 2000 calories for the day. When I look back on it now, I realize how crazy I was. Not for keeping the journal - because it worked for me - but becasue of the mentality I had about food. I was ingesting crap but felt ok about it because of calorie count. (I'm totally rolling my eyes at Past Retta right now). I could definitely tell my crap intake was affecting my workouts so I slowly started phasing Crap out and bringing more unprocessed, whole foods in. I noticed how much better I felt physically and my endurance got better as well.

Another big lesson I had to learn was to FORGIVE myself. Instead of totally beating myself up because I had Swiss Rolls (by the way, Past Retta was obsessed with those!) for dinner, I had to tell myself, "You'll do better with the next meal. It's ok and let's move on." You certainly wouldn't tell your best friend, "Wow, you are a fat pig!" so why the hell would you tell yourself that? Once I moved past that, I started working on the "well, I just messed this meal up, might as well mess up the rest of the day and start tomorrow." Why wait for tomorrow? Start NOW. :0) If I keep putting it off, I won't do it.

Overall, it's a slow and steady process with a few hiccups along the road. I still "mess up" but Past Retta no longer drags me down. Present Retta is at a healthy and happy place and still continues to learn. Now, when I look in the mirror and feel negativity about something - say, my stretch marks - I tell Present Retta, "You carried two babies in your body. They are healthy, smart and the loves of our lives." Or if I'm feeling a little down about my pace time, I have to remind myself that just a little over a year ago, I couldn't even run for 30 seconds!

What plans you have after the marathon?

To be announced at a later date! But I may have something interesting teehee.

"When we're getting a tattoo. :)"

Baby Sis, you make me laugh. Let's plan on when the breastfeeding days are over for both Big Sis and me. And after your wedding.

Seriously, I could not have gotten this far without the support of my family and friends. That includes my work family as well! Big smooches to all!!

Did you have an "AHA!" moment? What or who inspired/inspires you?

I'm BACK!

2010-03-29T09:06:00.000-05:00

GOOD MORNING! I am back, holla! Did you miss me? I definitely needed this break to relax the noggin. I also took the opportunity to really focus on the family and workity work. I must confess that I also took a break from training. That was very much needed as well. So, what else have I been up to in the mean time?

A little of this: (Vampire Academy & Vampire Beach = Mediocre)

A touch of that: (New Moon is the second DVD)

I totally loved Angelina Jolie in Wanted. James McAvoy = HOT for me. I loved him in Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway. Love, love, love. New Moon was good but not awesome. The books are much better. But I still geeked out like a teenage girl, not going to lie to ya. The Lover knew I had been wanting to see New Moon so he went and rented it for me. That's true love! I wonder if he put on a trench coat and dark sunglasses first haha.

There was also a lot of organizing and cleaning going on. We cleared out Big Boy's room and set up the bunk bed. Big Boy totally loves it and we're still working on Baby Boy's transition. I know it's not a great pic but I couldn't back up enough to get the whole bed in.

Baby Boy's room is now the playroom. It's a work in progress and it's scary. So out of control. I'm not really sure how they still have so many toys since we got rid of tons during the garage sale.

And of course, I had to tackle this never-ending beast!

I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the blog and training again. Unfortunately, my allergies are still out of control. I looked it up on-line and the tree pollen is really high. Damn you, trees! And of course, damn you Oklahoma wind for blowing it all around! So I'm relying on my inhaler and Benadryl for now. I'll have to get my booty in to see the doctor though. Bendadryl makes me so sleepy and I don't think the boss will appreciate seeing me slumped over my desk with drool running out of my mouth (since I can't breath out of my nose). Bahahaha!

I was really craving a good, ol' Green Monster today.

My GM contained:

2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1T shredded coconut
1 banana
1.25 cups soymilk
2 handfuls of ice

I missed my GMs! However, I am not a fan of soymilk. Soymilk is pretty big in most Asian cultures but I have never really liked the taste of it. It just tastes funky to me. I bought it because that's what Wal-Mart had available. More than likely I won't buy it again. It feels weird saying I don't like soymilk but I love tofu and other soy products.

What's your favorite milk? I prefer rice and almond milk! Yummers! Have a faboosh Monday, ya'll!

Holla!

2010-03-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. What's up? Hope you're having a great day! So after some thought, I decided to take a blog break. I promise I'll be back SOON. I've gotten some wonderful questions and can't wait to answer them. Keep 'em coming! I'll still be tweeting in the mean time.

Holla at ya'll later! Check out the lovely ladies/gent on my Blogroll. They are amazing!

Writer's Block & "Ask Me"!

2010-03-23T16:22:00.000-05:00

Afternoon, lovelies! Work is WERKing me! No joke. My brain hasn't been very focused today. I decided to get my run in, hoping I could clear my head. Before my run, I had a bowl of grapes (forgot to take a pic!) and 1/3 of an Amazing Grass bar.

Chocolate flavor? Woohoo! Love this flavor and a great pre-run snack.

So even though I had this faboosh view, I called it quits after 2.5 miles. I'm just glad I got some mileage in.

So pretty. It's so nice to see things getting green. But spring also means the return of this for me. Darn seasonal allergies!

My lunch was WEAK! I actually brought soup but the thought of eating soup after a hot run, PASS. So I had my sides and snack for lunch instead.

Carrots, hummus and pumpkin yogurt with a banana. To make pumpkin yogurt, you'll need:

1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Mix and voila! I have used brown sugar or topped with granola for sweetness but I passed on that today in favor of the ripe banana. It was the perfect amount of sweet. I know this won't last and I'll be hungry very soon. I may turn orange from all the carrots and pumpkin in my diet recently!

I have a confession. I am totally suffering from writer's block! Do you have those moments? I even do it when I write work and personal emails.

So my question to you is, what would you like to see more of on RunRettaRun? More recipes? More training? The reason I started my bloggie was to inspire other mamas out there to get their fitness on, even though it's tough to balance work/life. After all, a happy mommy means a happy family. So you let me know what you'd like to see!

I also got inspired by Melissa's Q & A sesh on her blog. So I'm opening the floor up to questions about me, The Lover, the job, the boys, my weight loss, my "aha" moment . . . feel free to ask and I shall answer. Post the question in my comments section or email me at RunRettaRun AT yahoo DOT com.

I'm looking forward to hearing feedback. Thanks, peeps!!

Fist Bump

2010-03-23T08:18:00.000-05:00

Gooooood morning to you! Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. I got slammed with work - it's our busy season. Then Baby Boy needed me once we got home. Poor dude. He's teething and it must be a doozy. He is not a happy camper. He's been waking up at night quite a bit and that is not like him at all.

Last night, The Lover and I were discussing the sleeping sitch. He and Big Boy have been sleeping in the living room and Baby Boy and I have been sleeping in our bedroom. Why? Well, we are waiting for our bunk beds to come in and are counting down the days to April 2nd! The sleeping situation is temporary and it sucks! Big Boy said he wanted to share his room so the boys will sleep in one room and Baby Boy's room will be the play room. Sounds like a great plan to us. :0) Before bed, we were saying how it felt like we are roomies right now so we did a fist bump before hitting the hay. We're dorks but it makes it fun.

Both boys were great this morning and I actually got to work earlier than usual. Shocking! For brekkie, I made Pumpkin Overnight Oats.

My oats contained:

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 pumpkin puree
cinnamon
pumpkin pie spice
2T soy milk
diced apple

So satisfying! And for you pumpkin lovers, it's like having pumpkin pie for breakfast. I know I keep saying that but I'm a Pumpkin Addict.

I'm looking foward to my run today. My new shoes feel great! OK, must get crackalackin'. Have a wonderful day!

Do you and your lover have quirky things/jokes that you do? Feel free to share! I love having inside jokes with The Lover.

Out With The Old

2010-03-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

Morning, morning! How are you? I have mixed feelings ha. I have the Monday-morning-already blues but at the same time, I am feeling productive and ready to tackle the day. The weekend was great. We got a lot of family time in but honestly, we were cooped up in the house and I think we were all going a bit stir crazy. The snow really came down on Saturday! On Sunday, we were able to get out and about for a couple of hours and it was great. I finally got some new kicks! WHOOP!

My old Asics (that I love dearly):

They were definitely ready for retirement. These puppies served me well.

We hit up Academy yesterday for my shoes. I am a die hard Asics fan and have been forever. I've tried Nikes and they are torture on my feet. They love giving me blisters. New Balance are ok. Not a huge fan. But Asics, you are awesome. However, I tried different ones on yesterday and they just didn't feel right. I understand the importance of a great running shoe but I didn't want to break the bank. You know? For the heck of it, I tried on Sauconys and oh my! They felt wonderful! I even ran around the store with Asics on one foot and the Sauconys on the other. I decided to go with the Sauconys and hopefully they won't disappoint!

Oooh shiny . . .

I'm excited to take these girls for a whirl!

OK enough about my shoes lol. For breakfast, I went with a lovely Green Monster:

My GM contained:

2.5 cups spinach
1 banana
1 cup light vanilla soymilk
1/2 cup water
3 handfuls of ice

At the last minute, I threw some water in there but it may not have been the best decision. My GM is really frothy. Not sure I like that but it still tastes yummy.

Question: Last year, I paid a pretty penny for my Asics at a store specializing in running gear. However, I went to Academy yesterday and saved over $50. So, out of curiousity, do you think the price of running/training shoes make a difference in the quality?

Waffles!

2010-03-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

Good morning! It's a gorgeous day. The sun is shining and although there is snow on the ground and it looks very chilly, I am just loving the sun. We may venture out today. Whoop, whoop!

I set my alarm for 630 AM this morning but for some reason, it didn't go off. I hate that. Unless it went off and I turned it off without remembering? That seems more likely haha. Baby Boy seemed kind of feverish over night so we're keeping an eye on him. He's still playing and being cah-razy so hopefully it's teething.

Because of my new waffle maker (thanks, Lover!), breakfast was a hit. I've never made waffles before and it's more time consuming than pancakes but it was a super welcome change.

I really need different plates but I so love this one. My brekkie consisted of:

2.5 waffles (had to test the first batch :0))
2 eggs
grapes
plum
2T pumpkin puree & 1t shredded coconut

I had almost all of everything except the plum. I'll save it for a snack later. OK, The Lover is giving me the "eye" so time to log off and hang with the fam. Have a faboosh day and hopefully it will be a productive one!

Ch-ch-check ya later!

Boredom Snacking

2010-03-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

Evening all! This has been a super relaxing and lazy day. What have I done today? A couple loads of laundry, play with the boys, eat, take a nap and eat some more. Yeah, it's been one of those days! I haven't even gotten out of my PJs!

My long list of eats for the day! After breakfast, I got a little snackie so I had a handful of these Pretzel Dips. Oh so good!

Lunch was a tasty Green Monster:

My GM contained:

2 handfuls of spinach
1 1/4 banana (part of my first banana was kind of funky)
1 1/4 cup soy milk
2 handfuls of ice

I missed GMs! After that I took a nice two hour nap with Baby Boy. I haven't taken a nap in a long time so that was super nice. I woke up to a present from The Lover. How sweet! He got a waffle maker. Guess what we're having for brekkie tomorrow? TEEHEE!

After waking up, I was feeling hungry again so I had some vegetarian eggrolls. These were about 3 inches long had 6. Three were 88 calories - not too bad. Instead of frying them, I popped the frozen eggrolls in the oven at 350 degrees until they were golden brown and turned them to brown the other side. They are just as crispy and a lot healthier.

Then I got snacky out of boredom. I totally recognized that I was eating because I was bored but did it anyway. The boys and I shared two bowls of Kashi Sunshine cereal.

I wasn't super hungry by the time dinner rolled around so I went simple with some polenta topped with black beans and spinach in veggie broth. Still very tasty!

Dessert:

I noticed my pants are getting a wee bit tight. I know that indulging every once in awhile is a good thing but I've let myself indulge too often. Plus, I have noticed the return of more processed foods has affected my training. Definitely time to get back on track, Retta!!

Have a wonderful night everyone. Hopefully I'll be able to get out of my PJs tomorrow :0)!

Snow Day!

2010-03-20T10:22:00.000-05:00

Morning! As Outkast says, I'm "feeling good, feeling great, how are you?" Even though the bottom has dropped out of the weather, I'm feeling cheery. Why? Maybe it's because of the three cups of coffee I consumed or maybe because it's been a productive morning!

Maybe because I also passed out early last night. I was pooped! After The Lover came home, we headed to the grocery store. It was INSANE. Okies were out in droves, stocking up for today's snow. Sometimes, I wonder if it's a conspiracy between the weather peeps and the grocery peeps. I swear, the meterologists really play up the weather, causing panic and people running to the store for supplies. If I had a beard, I would be stroking it with a very thoughtful expression on my face. Teehee.

For dinner, I made an apple and cheese sammie. I guess you can't really see the apple but it's in there. :0) On the side, I made some yucca fries with hummus for dipping.

I had never tried yucca fries before but they were delish. The do taste like a potato but different? If that makes any sense. It's a bit time consuming to make but worth it. First, I peeled the yucca of it's waxy, thick coating. The peel was giving me a work out! Then, dice into fry-like strips. Then, enter the time consuming part: Cover yucca with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn hit down and simmer yucca for 20 - 30 minutes or until tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer yucca to plate to cool. (Whew!) After cool, place yucca on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray, cover with foil and roast in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil and roast for additional 7 minutes. I promise, it's worth it!

For dessert, I had some of these. Then I threw the package in the freezer to keep me from inhaling them. I seriously need a coconut intervention.

When I woke up this morning, I could definitely feel the chill in the air. Brrrr! I made brekkie for my boys and threw some laundry in the washer. They decided to help me sort laundry which totally did not help at all but it was fun. My brekkie was deeeeeelish!

I'm getting good at this omelet stuff! Not to toot my own horn or anything (BEEP, BEEP). My omelet contained:

2 eggies
farmer cheese
half an avacado
2 mushrooms
a small handful of spinach (oh how I missed thee!)

Steamy, creamy and oh so dreamy. On the side, half an apple. My mission this weekend is to clean, clean, clean! Our house is a nightmare. Boo! The laundry monster has made it's ferocious return. We're all low on undies hahahahaha. The snow is coming down pretty hard. I thought the ground temps would be too warm for accumulation but it's coming down hard enough that it's not melting. The Sisters and I had planned on meeting for lunch but I'm not sure if it will be happening today. BOOHOO.

What A Day!

2010-03-19T16:25:00.003-05:00

I am tired, folks! I can't believe it's almost the weekend and I haven't even blogged today. What is this world coming to? :0) It's been wild but good for business. Raise the roof!

My morning started with happy boys and I love that! What else do I love? Pumpkin Overnight Oats. It was so delish yesterday, I had to have it again.

My oats contained:

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 soymilk
1/4 pumpkin puree
1T shredded coconut
pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon

Mix ingredients, store in fridge overnight. I topped it with a diced apple. You don't even need brown sugar or any sweetener. The apples and coconut made it just sweet enough.

Today was a rest day for me. I typically run during my lunch breaks but my knees were screaming for some down time. It was a beautiful day to get out and get some errands out of the way. I also picked up some Jersey Mike's for lunch.

Mmmm . . . veggie wrap! I just love these and the guys that work there are so darn nice. I got my veggies on a tomato basil wrap. AWESOME. While out and about, I also grabbed Starbucks' new Dark Cherry Iced Mocha.

I forgot my camera so I didn't snap a pic when I first bought it. It had a bit of whipped cream and chocolate chips on top. Try it! You'll like it!

After lunch, my lovely ladies (from work) and I decided to go on trash pick up duty. This is how we keep it green!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I. Am. A. Dork.

It was also an excuse for us to get out and get some lovely fresh air and sun before this hits:

Tonight: Rain before 1am, then rain and snow. Some thunder is also possible. Low around 32. North northwest wind 9 to 12 mph increasing to between 21 and 24 mph. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Saturday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow. High near 32. Windy, with a north wind between 21 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Saturday Night: Snow likely and widespread blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a low around 26. Windy, with a north northwest wind around 26 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Snow likely and areas of blowing snow before 1pm, then areas of blowing snow and a chance of snow after 1pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a high near 38. Windy, with a north northwest wind between 22 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: Areas of blowing snow. Mostly clear, with a low around 32.

And today is close to 70 degrees. So weird! We are going to hit up Wally World and get a few things just in case we won't be able to get out and about this weekend.

So sorry for the shortie post but time for me to bounce and get my little dudes!

What are your plans for the weekend? I wanted to get New Moon and peep it out!! Squealing like a school girl ova here!

Ice, Ice Baby

2010-03-18T18:21:00.000-05:00

What a day! Another balls to the wall day of work. I must admit, I love being busy like this. Makes the day fly by. Can't complain about that!

Donna and I decided we would brave the insane spring break traffic and run on our usual route. Pre-run snack was a juicy apple. I have quite a few that need to be eaten so you'll see a couple a day until I run out. :0)

The day was absolutely beautiful for a run. I even got to wear a tank top. Woohoo! I started out strong but about halfway into the run, I realized our usual route was too busy. On our way back, we split off into a neighborhood so we would have to stop so often. Once we got into the 'hood, we realized there was a marked and paved running trail. Score! All in all, we got a lovely 4 miler in.

Lunch was leftover pizza and two plums.

The ice was for the knees. I have been so lazy about icing after runs. All the pizza went into my tummy but the plums didn't make it until around 400 PM. I'm now snacking on some plain Goldfish while I try to figure out dinner. Have a great night!

Holy Snakes!

2010-03-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

Good morning, peeps! It's such a gorgeous morning here. The sun is out in full blast - just gorge! I'm definitely looking forward to a lovely run later. Can't beat the Spring time weather. I still can't believe we're supposed to get snow this weekend. Cah-razy!

After my insane day of grumpiness and work, I decided to live on the edge and had half a beer. Somebody hold me back! I was getting out of control lol. I also had mushroom and olive pizza for dinner. Unfortunately, no pic. I had a grouchy baby on my hands/pants/legs/floor . . . you get the picture.

My breakfast this morning was rock-my-face awesome!

Pumpkin Overnight Oats (P.O.O. ha!). My oats contained:

1/2 cup dry oats
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1T shredded coconut
cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice to taste
1 diced apple

Mix all ingrendients. Put in fridge over night, add diced apple the next morning and your taste buds will thank you! It was like having pumpkin pie, I tell ya.

Look who came to work for a visit!

Luckily, I saw him before I stepped on him. A heel would not have felt good in his back. Have a faboosh day! Oh and guess who is coming to concert in July? LADY GAGA! Seriously, almost peed in my pants when I heard the news. I will so be there.

In Need of a Brew - Green or Otherwise

2010-03-17T14:59:00.000-05:00

Dramarama! This day is kicking my butt and not in a good way. It's been an intense day, ya'll. I.N.T.E.N.S.E. Bet you didn't know Asians said "ya'll." This one does!

After some deliberation, I decided I had way too much work to tackle so I decided to skip my run today. Boo! But one day won't kill me. My oatmeal carried me through my mid-morning snack (again!) but I was ready for lunch around 1230 PM.

I know it's not the greatest pic. I was in a harray! My lunchie-poo was delish though. I made a black bean and sweet potato burger this morning. Unfortunately, I think I cooked it too long because it was crumbling apart by the time lunch rolled around. Still good though! I had carrots and hummus on the side with a plum for dessert. I forgot my peeler today and could only stomach one carrot. I think it's a mental thing.

After more work shenanigans, I decided I needed a hot fudge sundae!

By the time I got around to eating it, it was a bit soup-like on the bottom but it didn't stop me from drinking it. No worries. :0)

Do you just want to be mad sometimes? At times, I get cranky and I want to be cranky but The Lover always makes me laugh and I'm thinking, "Well, hell. Guess I can't be mad anymore!"

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T09:26:00.001-05:00

Top of the mornin' to ya! I realized I have absolutely no green on. Yikes. I don't think the boys have green on either. Hope they don't get pinched at school. That would suck and I would feel like I won the Mother of the Year award!

My morning started off with a tiny panic attack. I thought I had overslept. I mistook the light from the TV as the sun shining into the bedroom. Whew! Don't you hate when you think you have overslept? I had plenty of time to pack my snacks, breakfast and lunch for the day. I was totally lazy and didn't do it last night. Lookie what I found at Target on clearance:

The pumpkin coffee smelled so good and I was super stoked to try it. Verdict? It smells better than it tastes. Not that it tastes bad but it's weak. I even made a second pot and added more to make it stronger. No luck. Damn it. I need strong coffee - not strong enough to make chest hair grow though!

Overnights oats for breakfast!

a little less than 1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
cinnamon
1 diced apple
2T shredded coconut

Oatmeal, I have missed thee. Combine everything but the apple. Leave in the fridge overnight and add topppings the next morning. Easy peasy!

Any special plans for St. Patrick's Day?

Stiff Knee

2010-03-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

Hello there! Hope you're Tuesday is going well. Mine is ok. I was a bit of a cranky girl this morning but it got better, especially after hitting the road for a short 3 mile run. Donna and I had a lot to catch up on so we did a bit more walking than running but we did get a good sweat on. I've also had this really tight muscle behind my right knee. I can't seem to get it to loosen up. Any suggestions? I've been stretching like a banshee but it's still pretty tight. It doesn't really bother me when I'm running. It's more of annoyance.

Pre-run, I snacked on a small apple and plum.

Lunch was leftover from last night's din-din.

Rice was still blah. I am now snacking on some honey Oikos with 1/4 cup Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal.

I licked the spoon clean! Back to the grind-ola. The sun is trying to peek through the clouds. Yippee!

Reasons I Love My Sisters

2010-03-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

Mo'nin! How are you today? Doing well over here! Not going to lie though. I need some sun! It's been so dreary and overcast in Oklahoma City. I mean, come on! It's spring break! While getting ready, I watched the weather forecast and we have a 50% chance of snow on Saturday. Sucky! The temps are in the upper 50s all week and Friday will be 67. Wow! Just in time for the weekend, we'll have the snow and freezing temps. Oklahoma weather. You gotta love it. ;)

Last night's dinner was not all that great. I tried this new rice mix I found. Unfortunately, I didn't take a pic of the box but it was a roasted garlic brown rice blend. So not impressed at all.

On the side, I had steamed broccoli & cauliflower with tofu. Luckily, that saved the whole dinner! To make the tofu and veggie mix, I simmered some frozen broc and cauliflower in vegetable broth. While that was simmering, I mixed three cubes - diced - of fried tofu (it was made with woodear mushrooms and rice vermicelli) in about 1T of hoisin sauce. You can find that at the Asian grocery store. When the veggies were just about finished, I added the tofu/hoisin sauce to the pot. A little S&P and bomb!

For dessert, I made an exciting discovery that I was dying to try!

I almost squealed when I saw the 4-pack of Oikos yogurt. I have been searching high and low and finally found it at a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market close to Baby Sis' house. With my chocolate Oikos, I had 2 GS Somoas.

Oh. My. So good! You must try it!

The Lover took the boys to school this morning but I didn't get to sleep in. I'm really, really trying to streamline the morning routine and get to work without having a nervous breakdown every day :).

My brekkie was the bomb diggity!

This bowl of awesome contained:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup water
1/4 cup frozen blackberries (I swear they are in there!)
1 sliced banana
4 chopped almonds
1T chocolate chips

Mix, mix, mix it up and voila! Yummy in your tummy.

I was thinking about Big Sis and Baby Sis over the weekend and just feel super lucky that I have such a great relationship with them. Growing up you have the typical sibling stuff but we were still close. Big Sis is one year older than I and Baby Sis is 8 years younger. I used to change her diapers! She is getting married in May and maybe that is one of the reasons I feel so emotional. I know I'll be a mess during the ceremony. I know I was when Big Sis got married! So here are a few reasons I love my sisters:

Big Sis always lends me books to read. Without her extensive library, my brain would not get a good workout
Baby Sis gives me tons of clothes
Big Sis sends me recipes she finds that she thinks I would like
Baby Sis makes long runs very bearable
Big Sis understands my obsession with Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor
The three of us can tell one another ANYTHING

There is your daily cheese. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Are you close with your siblings? Feel free to spread some cheese!

To Tweet Or Not Tweet?

2010-03-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

Check out my Mother Love product review at the end of the post!

Work has been sailing smoothly. Playing catch up is always fun, isn't it? Overall, I didn't have a ton of voicemail and only about 60 emails so not too shabby! I wish the pile of filing had magically diminished but no luck. I seriously detest filing but it's a necessary evil!

My huge brekkie held me over through the morning. I decided to run a tad bit earlier than usual today since I had a 130 PM meeting scheduled. Even though I was still stiff from yesterday's run, it felt good to get my 3 miler in. My legs loosened up quickly and it felt great. I got a good sweat on. Don't you love that? I hit the groove early and that always makes for wonderful running sesh!

Lunch was great! Big Sis recommended I try a pear and cheese sandwich since I love the apple and cheese combo so much.

1 sliced pear
farmer cheese
WW pita
3 carrots
hummus on the side

I really did like the combo of pear and cheese! It would have been better if I had been able to toast my pita but those are the breaks. For dessert, I had a mini-tower of GS mint thins. So delish . . .

Mother Love Product Review

Mother Love sent me products from their organic and cruelty free line to review in February. I know it's been awhile since I received the More Milk Plus, Nipple Cream and Diaper Rash & Thrush Cream. However, I wanted to give the More Milk Plus some time to work :0). Let me break it down for ya!

More Milk Plus - I think every nursing mother has worried about supply at some point. I know I have. Even though Baby Boy is older, I wanted to give it a whirl. I saw an immediate increase in milk production within two days, over two weeks saw a total increase of 1 oz each side with pumping.

Nipple Cream - Because I am not a new nursing mom, I didn't feel like my review on the product would be a real review. However, Big Sis had recently had her second baby and I knew she was having nursing/nipple issues. Her words, "Non-greasy, light, but instant relief!! Kept breast pad from sticking also helped form an airtight seal on pump. Plus that it didn't have to be wiped off. (helped the healing process, since wiping would cause more friction & more pain!) I even used it on my dry, cracked knuckles, wonderful protectant!" Sounds like her boobies were happy after using the cream!

Diaper Rash & Thrush - I was lucky enough to not have had thrush but diaper rash? I know you well. Or should I say, Baby Boy knows you well. The cream has a pleasant smell, non-sticky or greasy. Cleared up the rash on Baby Boy within two applications. For you mamas that have had babies with diaper rash, you know that it is so heartbreaking to see their discomfort. Clearing up diaper rash within two applications? Amazing!

My overall opinion? Give Mother Love a whirl, ladies! I know both Big Sis and I are in love.

So Tweeting is the in thing. I've been wondering if I should sign up for some time now. It seems that it would increase readership on my bloggie and of course, who doesn't want more readership?

So what do you think, Bloggers? Has it been a great tool for you?

Back In The Saddle

2010-03-15T09:16:00.000-05:00

Morning! Does anyone else totally love that song? It always reminds me of that part in Shanghai Knights when Owen Wilson's character gets cut from the noose in the knick of time. Yes I love both Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights. Jackie Chan does his own stunts. Who doesn't love that?

Despite the time change throwing us off yesterday, I managed to get a fantastic run in with Baby Sis. We took two major breaks. One was a long walking break because we were chatting and gossiping. The other was because we were at our brother-in-law's (is that right?) mom's house. Her house is the perfect half-point pit stop in my neighborhood. She offered her backyard for Baby Sis' rehearsal dinner. Isn't that great? Big Sis has hers there and it was beautiful. They put a lot of work into their backyard and it's gorgeous in the Spring and Summer. Anyhoo, so those were the only breaks we had. We pretty much ran the whole time and it was one of those runs that I felt great and really hit my groove.

My legs were hurting after we wrapped up the 8 miler. That was not fun. I am in desperate need of new shoes but I've kept putting it off for one reason or another. It's time to get some new kicks for Retta. The Lover and I were going to hit up Academy yesterday evening but of course, Baby Boy fell asleep and by the time he woke up, the store was closed. Gah! This week for sure! I really feel like my knees will thank me.

I don't know about you but time changes rarely affect me. Sure, the actual day of the time change sucks but after that, no biggie. I ~~may have~~ probably just jinxed myself. :0) I woke up this morning ready to get back into the routine but I could tell the boys were not ready for the morning. Big Boy woke up on his own but I had to wake Baby Boy up. Luckily, they were both in great moods and the morning went off without a hitch.

One reason? I prepped all my stuff (breakfast, lunch, etc) last night. My breakfast this morning was bowl of fruity goodness!

There are some oats buried under there, I promise. I prepped a bowl of overnight oats before going to bed last night. Overnight oats are so easy! I used:

a little less than 1/2 cup dry oats
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1.5t brown sugar
1T soy milk

Mix all ingredients together, store in fridge over night. The next morning, add toppings. The great part about oatmeal is that you can add pretty much anything! I went with a small diced gala apple and a plum. Bombs of deliciousness were going off in my mouth!

Time to get caught up on emails and voicemails. Oh and did anyone peep out Lady Gaga's new video for Telephone? I love!!

What are your thoughts?

Breakfast Pizza & Shutting Down

2010-03-13T12:56:00.000-06:00

Howdy! I did convince The Lover we needed Mexican food after our hard day of wheeling and dealing yesterday. I started with a frosty, salty and lime-y Negra Modelo.

Refreshing! The I feasted on a vegetarian taco salad. It contained beans, peppers, onions, mushrooms, squash, lettuce, tomato and shredded cheese. I demolished almost all of it. It was wonderful!

This is The Lover after a hard day's work. I think he pooped out around 830 PM. Haha.

This morning, I started off with another delish Green Monster. Are you sick of seeing these yet? I have another GM worth of spinach left to use up. Like Caitlin said, GMs give ya energy and are super good for you! You really cannot taste the spinach at all.

In the GM:

1T flax
2 handfuls spinach
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut juice
1 banana
3 handfuls of ice

The morning started off pretty slow G-Sale wise. Most of the things are gone so we've had a lot of "drive by" shopping. After a couple hours, I got hungry again. Breakfast pizza was on my brain. I had picked up a package of Tandoori Nan bread at the Asian grocery store.

I popped a flatbread into a 400 degree oven for about 5 - 8 minutes to get it a tad crispy. Then I topped the pizza with sliced mushrooms, crumbled falafel, 1/2 a sliced tomato, a sprinkling of shredded cheddar and broiled it all for roughly 3 minutes.

The Lover said it looked very "gourmet." It was so yummy. I'll have to try it with scrambled egg next time. Close up:

Drool-a-rama! Nana brought me some coffee. I had about half. It wasn't very good. Darn you, Sonic!

We're preparing to wrap the G-Sale up but still hanging on just a tiny bit longer. The things we don't sell will be donated to a batter women/children shelter. A lady that came by yesterday suggested the YWCA and it was a wonderful idea. Most women that are battered leave with nothing but their children so they have absolutely nothing. It just breaks my heart to think of all the clothes and toys our children have gone through that look like they've barely been used when there are other children out there that have nothing.

What's your charity of choice and why?

Stick a Fork In Me

2010-03-12T18:23:00.000-06:00

I. Am. Done. Well, It's over for today anyway! We shut down the big G-Sale at 430 PM. Nana picked the boys up from school and Big Boy had to do a quick survey of toys that were no longer there. The Lover and I have a good laugh. The expression on his face was hilarious. One of our customers was a Girl Scout mama so The Lover flagged her down as she was getting ready to leave. I needed some cookies!

My favorites are Samoas and Thin Mints. I promptly had a few Samoas.

About an hour later I had some Thin Mints.

Both of my wonderful sisters stopped by for a visit. The time passes much faster when you have your awesome sisters with ya! Plus, Big Sis brought Baby Nephew over to hang with his Aunt Retta. Big Nephew came after he got out of school. He loves his Aunt Retta. They are so sweet!

Big Boy decided to pack his Diego backpack and hit the road with Nana. It was kind of funny. I guess he thought he could sneak by us without us noticing? Crazy kid! I think The Lover is taking me out for Mexican food tonight. After that, I'll be so ready to hit the sack!

We are thinking of doing only half a day of G-Sale action tomorrow. I need to enjoy the rest of my vacation! Oh and after the 11 miler yesterday, I am still feeling a bit of stiffness so I need a serioush sesh of yoga to stretch my leggies. They were stiff when I woke up this morning and it's gotten better but I still feel tons of tightness in my left knee. I'm hobbling like Peg Leg Retta. Argh, I be a pirate!

Sell, Sell, Sell!

2010-03-12T13:42:00.000-06:00

Super late update but we've been slammed! It's a really beautiful and sunny day but the wind is ferosh. I've been huddled by the heater all morning. Baby Boy's room is empty except toys and clothes. It's kind of sad but we had to make room for the new bed. It's also funny that the boys rediscovered old toys so we had to save some. My morning started with a killer Green Monster:

The star in my GM:

My GM contained:

1T flax
2 handfuls spinach
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut juice
1 banana
3 handfuls ice

I love the Asian grocery store because - well, besides the obvious :0) - I get so many things I can't find at the regular store and vegetables are so fresh and usually cheaper. The tofu is usually cheaper too!

After wheeling and dealing, I was so ready for lunch. I had a toasted baguette, apple and farmer cheese sandiwich. Bomb diggity!

Don't let this fool you. I ended up eating the other part of the baguette very soon after I finished the sandwich. I bought three of those beauties at the Asian store yesterday and froze two. I'm all about freezing bread!

OK I must go save The Lover and give him a break. See you soon!

Jam Packed Thursday

2010-03-11T15:06:00.000-06:00

Afternoon! This is one heck of a late post but we've been cah-razy busy 'round here. The boys were ready to go as soon as they woke up! Bouncing off the walls and everything. I had mandatory coffee and a pre-run snack of sammie thin and PB.

I dropped the dudes off at school and headed home to prep for my run. It takes me FOREVER to get ready for a longer run. How about you? I should have laid out my gear the night before but I was too lazy lol. This is how cool I am. Not sure what's wrong with my one eye haha.

I had planned on doing a 10 miler but ended up doing 11! It was a bit by accident. I headed in one direction but the head wind was too strong. I decided to turn around at mile 1 and go in the other direction. Lake Hefner's running trail is 10 miles all the way around. I took more walking breaks than I would have liked - boo. But I did it! I'm proud of myself. I did stop for a restroom break and 2 or 3 stretching breaks. The knees and booty muscles started hurting and stiffening around mile 4. At miles 4 and 8, I took Gu shots.

Some lake shots:

Still can't believe I ran all the way around that beast! Raise the roof! My sweaty, post-run face. SESSY.

As soon as I got home, I made a Green Monster.

My GM contained:

2 handfuls spinach
1T flax
1.25 cups soy milk
1 banana
2 handfuls of ice

After a quick shower, The Lover took me to Jersey Mike's for lunch. I was still pretty hongree! I had their veggie wrap and some of The Lover's Cheetos.

My wrap contained:

Provolone cheese
Swiss cheese
grilled green peppers, onions
lettuce
mayo

Overall, it was pretty good but WAY too much mayo. Now, we're working on more garage sale fun and Big Sis and I are going to hit up the Asian grocery store. Woohoo!

Does it take you forever to get ready for runs? Seems like I pack up the whole house lol!

More Garage Sale Hoopla

2010-03-10T19:40:00.001-06:00

Evening, folks! It has been a great day. The Lover, Nana and I went to check out beds for Big Boy. We decided on a bunk bed that can be separated into two beds. Might as well get Baby Boy's bed while we're at it! Unfortunately, the bed is on back order until April 2nd. We went ahead and ordered it. Two hours later, we were finished bed shopping. Who knew it would take so long? Nana treated me to a peppermint mocha from Starbucks. My favorite coffee combo EVER.

After we got home and got more garage sale bidness taken care of, I set out for a short 3 miler. It went really well. The weather was wonderful and actually got pretty toasty. While running, a truck honked at me. I don't mind honking when Donna and I are running at work because the honking is usually from co-workers encouraging us. However, when the truck honked today, it scared the bejeezus out of me! I thought it was because I was in their way but nope, just being obnoxious. After that, I kind of felt nervous so I turned my MP3 way down and kept looking around. Better safe than sorry, huh?

Post-run, I had a Green Monster.

My GM contained:

1T flax
2 handfuls spinach
1 banana
1.25 cup soy milk
4 cucumber slices

I definitely dug the cukes in the GM. It tasted super fresh. On the side, I had apricots and cashews.

We picked the boys up from school and hit up Target for a few necessities. I had a slice of cheese pizza as a super late lunch. Sorry, no pic :0(. For "binner" (breakfast + dinner), I'll be having brekkie leftovers.

Here are a few pics of what we have gone through for the g-sale:

We still have more in the house to take out. Whew we've accumlated a lot of stuff over the years! I remember when we moved in and I thought we'd never get enough stuff to fill the house. Bahaha.

Would you advertise your garage sale on Craigslist? We're thinking about it but I'm not 100% certain.

PS - Peep out this awesome giveaway Lisa is doing! Ch-ch-check it out!

Ahhh, Sweet Vacation!

2010-03-10T10:30:00.000-06:00

Morning! I'm blogging from the comfort of my home this morning. Ahhhh! The Lover let me sleep in until 715 AM (so sweet!) and took the boys to daycare. I took my sweet time getting around and sipping on my necessary coffee. The Lover took me to breakfast and I went to town on an avacado, tomato and Swiss cheese omelette with home fries on the side. I had exactly half of what is shown.

And the homemade bread with peach jelly (x2) is out of this world!

We have gone through our bedroom, Baby Boy's room, the bathrooms and the living room for garage sale/trash items. Big Boy's room and the kitchen are going to be major accomplishments when we knock that out. It's nice getting rid of stuff but at the same time, the memories tied to the items makes it tough to part with them.

We hope to surprise Big Boy with a bunk bed some time this week as well! And of course, get some training in. Have a happy hump day!

Do you have a tough time getting rid of things?

Countdown!

2010-03-09T15:26:00.000-06:00

Awww yeah! T minus 2 hours until I am on vacation until next Monday! I'm doing the Roger Rabbit (mentally). I have tons of work to knock out first so this will be a quickie.

Check this out:

These were Big Boy's first boots and they were passed on to Baby Boy. I thought about selling them (very briefly) but I got choked up so no way . I can't do it.

Pre-run snack-a-roo was an apple and Artisana's cashew butter.

The butter was nice and creamy. Out of all the butters I've tried so far, the walnut one is my favorite! I wasn't a huge fan of the almond butter. The cashew went well with my apple and was a great pre-run snack.

Miss D and I set out on our run today so excited. The sun was shining and though the wind was pretty strong, we weren't stuck on the ~~dread~~ treadmill so woohoo! I wish I had brought my cell with me so I could have timed myself. I felt like I started off really strong and was running at a great pace. :0) I love runs like that.

We did lots of chatting during Mile 3 so I suggested we sprint part of the way. She said, "This is my sprint! Don't you recognize a sprint when you see one?" She so funny! She make me laugh long time. (Hi Donna!)

Lunch was exactly the same as my dinner from last night.

I stuffed those pita halves to bursting capacity! Is it weird that I use the Baby Boy's food containers and plasticware? They are the perfect portion sizes, I tell ya.

Total tangent here but I'm listening to this on-line radio station that plays hits from 2000 until present. I'm digging it! Totally makes me jam in my office and I get funny looks but I'm rockin'! Give it a whirl: http://player.play.it/player/aolPlayer.html?v=4.10.47&ur=1&us=1&id=2223

Sunny Tuesday

2010-03-09T08:53:00.000-06:00

Why, herro there! Happy Tuesday! It's a gorgeous day in Oklahoma City - albeit a tad windy. I promised a weekend recap so here are some highlights from my niece's 4th birthday:

The party was held at a gymnastics facility and both boys went wacko. I may have to look into enrolling Big Boy into gymnastics. My niece looked so darn cute in her black leotard!

The Lover and I tackled Baby Boy's room last night. We sorted through clothes and toys galore to prep for the garage sale. I'm not going to lie - I started crying when sorting the clothes that both boys wore when they were babies. Sniff, sniff. They grow so quickly! I kept a few blankets, shirts and shoes.

After working up a bit of a sweat, I was so ready for dinner. It was so freaking good! I actually forgot to take a pic until after I had taken a few bites.

Falafels in toasted WW pita with 'shrooms, cukes, spinach, carrots and hummus. I also added smears of non-fat plain yogurt in the pita. Nom, nom, nom!! I had never tried falafels before and wowza. I love! According to the package, you can either fry or bake them. I went with baking. You'll see them again at lunch :0).

I had the usual Green Monster for breakfast this morning. It's not as sweet as it usually is. I think my banana wasn't ripe enough. Oopsie!

Better get crackalackin'! Have a fantastic Tuesday!

I'm Hongree!

2010-03-08T14:26:00.000-06:00

What is the deal today? I have been non-stop ravenous. At about 1000 AM, I had part of this yummy Amazing Grass berry bar. Oh. My. Yum. I am quickly becoming addicted to AG products.

An hour later, my tummy was rumbling again! So I had the other half of the AG berry bar and two cuties. I think these are the last of the mega bag we bought.

Donna and I sprinted to the gym. It was drizzling and quite chilly. We got our run on and let me tell ya, I totally do not love running on the "dreadmill." It used to do the trick for me but running outside is my preference. The 3 miles seemed like they were snail's pace. I even did some speedwork, hoping it would make the time pass faster. Finally, I bumped my speed up to 8.5 - this is almost yakking point for me lol. When it was time to head back to the office, the rain was really coming down. A couple wonderful co-workers picked us up in a golf cart. We still got soaked but not "wet t-shirt" level ;0).

Lunch was so satisfying!

Boca burger + farmers cheese + asparagus = AH-MAY-ZING! I've never heard of farmers cheese but it's a white cheese that has a mild flavor. So good! I had super sweet grapes on the side. They look a bit like olives . . . Side view of my heaven sammich.

The asparagus was leftover from last night's din. I roasted them in the oven at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. They were lightly coated with butter and sprinkling of salt. So simple!

No clue what I'm whipping up for dinner. Ideas? Anyone? Do you plan ahead on meals or just wing it?

Feeling Naked

2010-03-08T08:37:00.001-06:00

Morning! Did that get your attention? Haha. Happy Monday to you! Don't weekends just speed by like it never happened? People used to tell me before we had kiddos, "Just wait until you have children. Time really flies then!" I didn't believe them then but I'm a believer now! I decided to take a blog breather and spend time with all three of my boys - five counting my fur dudes. I have a camera full of pics to share, however, I left the heezy without my camera cord. So I'm feeling quite naked without it. :0) I think I'll do a weekend recap tomorrow or tonight. I'll be certain to grab the cord before leaving home.

This will be a short work week for me! Woohoo! I'm working today and tomorrow then will be off for 3 glorious days with The Lover. I'm sure he'll put me to work. He's talking about having a garage sale this weekend. The thought of having one makes me shiver with dread. We've had three over the years and they just wear me out! Garage sales are tons of work!

I was definitely craving a Green Monster this morning. We ran out of spinach on Friday and the supply has been replenished! (Yay for camera phones.)

My lovely GM contained:

2 handfuls spinach
1T flax
1 packet Amazing Grass' Kidz chocolate flavor Super Food
2T shredded coconut
1.25 cup rice milk
1 banana
1/4 non-fat plain yogurt
3 handfuls of ice

Big Boy was not a fan of the Kidz Superfood so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I liked the Amazing Meal one much better. It seemed more chocolate-y. The yogurt really gives the GM a smoothie texture. Delish!!

I have a ton of work to cram into two days! See ya after lunch!

Have you had a garage sale? Any interesting stories or tips to share?

Tropical Saturday

2010-03-06T08:37:00.003-06:00

Good morning to you! Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. Work was insane in the brain! In a good way. :0) However, I was able to squeeze in a fantastic 3 mile run. Originally, I planned on 2 but it was another day where I felt I could keep going. Faboosh. Just faboosh. Donna and I ran with another lovely co-worker. Running with company definitely mixes it up and keeps it fun.

I didn't have that mini-pocket in my shorts for my office key so I had to be smarter than the average bear.

After my quick and very simple lunch of almond pilaf, black beans and carrots (w/ hummus for dipping), I was off to a meeting that was very l-o-n-g..

I didn't take any pics of dinner but I had tofu and veggie lo mein that rocked my face off! I'm doing a bit of carb loading lol.

This morning, I woke up to two happy boys. After getting the necessary coffee jolt to the system, I made a supe delish brekkie, thanks to Oh! Nuts. They sent dried apricots and cashews to review.

Big Boy and The Lover are huge nut freaks so the cashews were a hit! Big Boy also went loco on the dried apricots. I had to cut him off. :0)

Baby Boy and I shared Tropical Bulgur Wheat for breakfast.

The bowl o' goodness contained:

1/2 cup bulgur wheat prepared with 1 1/8 cup water
a handful of chopped cashews
2 diced apricots
1/2T shredded coconut
2t brown sugar

Prepare bulgur wheat according to package directions. Add brown sugar, mix well. Top with cashews, aprictos and coconut. Easy-peasy and very pleasey. Baby Boy went to town on it. The cashews gave breakfast a nice crunch and the apricots were nice and chewy. Very good! Two spoons up!

So . . . I had planned on running 11 miles today but I'm going to take a rest day and do some yoga to stretch out my leggies and arms. With the intense strength training and running, my muscles have been very sore and tight. I really should stretch after working out but I haven't. I know it's a no-no. Trust me, my head in hanging in shame. I'll be tackling those 11 miles tomorrow. I believe it will be pretty windy so that will suck but that's ok. It is good conditioning for the halfie!

I'm off to get ready for the diz-ay. Oh dang. I promised I would stop that. Oops! My older niece's 4th birthday party is today. The boys will love it! Interesting story: Both my niece and Big Boy were originally due on the exact same day almost 4 years ago. My sister-in-law, Brandy, and I were stoked to be preggo together. However, Big Boy made his entrance 6 weeks early so he's older than she is by 5 weeks. We then got preggo together with our second babies (creepy huh?) and my younger niece is 5 weeks older than Baby Boy!

Have a faboosh Saturday, lovelies!

Super Green & Super Energized

2010-03-05T10:17:00.000-06:00

Hey, hey, hey! Good beautiful morning to ya! This gorgeous weather makes me so happy.

If you haven't noticed, I have been having a tough time doing 3 posts a day. Boohoo. I decided that I would do 3 a day when possible. It is tough once I get home because the family but when I can, I will! Yesterday, I was fortunate that Nana picked the boys up from daycare. I stayed at work a little bit later than normal then hit the road. It felt weird not picking them up but I took the opportunity to get a quick 2 mile run in. It's been awhile since I've done a two-a-day but it felt great. After my run, I had a Green Monster. Those are darn addicting!

I like to have it in a beer glass because I'm so easily amused. :0) Soon after I had to pick the boys up so no din-din pics but I had a Boca burger on multi-grain baguette with white cheddah. Delish! The hunger was in hyper drive yesterday.

This morning, I slept in a little since The Lover is on vacation and will be taking the boys to school. What, what! What did I have for breakfast, you ask? No surprise here but another GM! But it was super charged . . . oh yes. So green and so wonderful.

The Amazing Grass Wheat Grass was the star.

Also in my mean, green machine:

3 handfuls of spinach
1.5 bananas
1T flax
2.5T shredded coconut
1.25 cup rice milk
lots o' ice

I have to say it's my best GM to date! I have a 2 miler planned for today and an 11 miler sometime this weekend.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Spaghetti Arms II

2010-03-04T16:11:00.000-06:00

Oh. My. Hell. I got my booty handed to me again! I wasn't able to do my strength sesh on Tuesday because work was insane but seriously, I could tell skipping that day affected today's session. I will definitely be feeling it tomorrow! I've considered adding a third day of strength but honestly, I don't have the time. So two days of strength will have to do for now but wowzers. We did upper body today: deltoids, triceps, chest, shoulders and biceps. Then we did core. Core is killer. Without the Jillian Michaels' DVDs, I can't imagine even doing what I did today. It was amazing until the last 5 - 10 minutes. All I could think about was my hunger and I noticed I was losing my form and just getting goofy. Good thing we wrapped it up soon after!

Before workout snackaroo were two cuties. I have more to eat before they go bad so you'll see these for a few more days. :0) I also raided my grape stash and had a Wasa cracker an hour after I had the cuties. I was stah-ving.

After the workout, I tried to fix my hair because it came out of my pony. It was interesting because of the quivering arms but I did it! Ha! In your face, Hair!

I eagerly tore into my lunch! I had a scrumptuos sweet potato and black bean burger. Carrots, celery and hummus on the side.

Alternate view:

I had juicy, sweet grapes for dessert.

Nana is picking up the boys from school so I'm debating if I want to get a quick run in after work. Decisions, decisions!

Yet Another Faboosh Morning

2010-03-04T08:48:00.001-06:00

Morning! It's going to be another Spring-like day. WOOHOO!

Looks like there are chances of rain and will be windy this weekend but I'll take it! It's almost tornado season so we are used to wind in OK.

This is totally a tangent but is anyone else digging Timbaland and Justin Timberlake's "Carry Out?" I'm loving it! It's dir-tay so I change the station if the boys are in the car but if not, I'm dancing in my seat.

A little mini-vent . . . I was dropping the boys off at school and when I pulled up, a car blocked the entire driveway instead of pulling into it. I don't understand that. All these parents are in a hurry, trying to drop off their kids and no one can get to the front of the school because another parent was inconsiderate. Most of the parents are super nice and courteous but that kind of rubbed me the wrong way this morning.

Moving on to breakfast! I was craving chocolate so I went with Amazing Grass' Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion. I used the entire packet for rib-sticking power.

I added it into my Green Monster. It tured it a tad brown but goodness, it's good!

My GM contained:

Amazing Meal packet
2 huge handfuls of spinach
1 banana
1.25 cups rice milk
2T shredded coconut
3 handfuls of ice

Seriously? Chocolate + coconut? YUM. I'm sad I don't have any more of the Chocolate Infusion packets but I am so going to buy some.

I really want to run today but it's a strength day. Core work, here I come!!

Have you ever run into rude parents at school or daycare? If so, what do you do?

So Energized!

2010-03-03T14:20:00.000-06:00

Though it's been busy, I was determined to get out for a run today. I was still a bit bummed by my run on Monday and skipping yesterday's strength sesh. Pre-run, I had a banana and some Barney butter. That stuff is delish!

Once Donna and I stepped foot outside, I knew it was going to be a great run. It's absolutely beautiful! It didn't take long to get a good sweat going. Tackling the hills didn't seem quite as hard like it did on Monday. Yay! I dropped her off at Mile 3 and kept going. I only planned on doing 5 but went ahead and did 6. Whoop! Don't you just love when you feel like you could keep going?

Once I got back to the office, cooled down and guzzled a ton of water, it was lunch time. It is very simple but one of my faves.

I had an apple and white cheddar sandwich with the rest of the apple and sliced tomato on the side. I wish we had a toaster oven at work but a microwave did the trick to melt the cheese.

BOMB! And so satisfying! I'm jamming to Carrie Underwood's (aka, The Lover's girlfriend) "Cowboy Cassanova." What's up fellow Okie!

What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch?

Spring Fever Has Infected Me

2010-03-03T09:17:00.001-06:00

Whoop, whoop! It's Wednesday and it's going to be nice and sunny out. I see an outdoor run in my very near future! Hope you're doing well and ready to tackle the day. Thanks to my three cups of coffee, I'm ready to tackle it and wrestle it to the ground! OK . . . I need to calm down. Seriously. I'm just so excited by the Spring-like weather!

Both boys decided to sleep in so I had to wake them both up. I'm really trying to streamline my morning but somehow, I always end up rushing and stressing. Hmmm . . . I wonder if it's because I was watching Undercover Boss while I was putting on my face this morning? That show is great!

I am currently sipping on a delish Green Monster:

Instead of flax, I used one of my Amazing Grass goodies.

My GM contained:

half of the Amazing Meal packet
2.5 cups of spinach
1 banana
1.25 cup rice milk
2T shredded coconut
lots of ice

Rock my face off! Time to get busy. Also, do you think it's time I cleaned out my wallet?

Have a fantastic day!

5:00 PM Already?

2010-03-02T18:50:00.000-06:00

Evening, folks! I looked up from my work and it was time for my pre-work out snack! Can't complain about that! I had a pear and a cutie.

About an hour after my snack, I realized I was way too swamped to get in my planned strength sesh. I had to quickly get over the guilt and get back to business. I know I will make up for it later this week and honestly, if I don't make it up, skipping one session is not going to kill me!

A couple hours later, hunger hit me hardcore.

It consisted of mainly leftovers:

Flat Out wrap (last one! Boohoo!)
roasted tofu from Sunday night
spinach
hummus
carrots
black beans

Wraps are so easy and fun. You can get so creative with them!

I worked my way through my afternoon snack and before I knew it, it was time to go get my little dudes.

I thought I'd share a pic of my leftovers! I know, it sounds weird and gross but with fruits and veggies (and tea leaves!), I save the stuff I don't eat during the day for our compost. We have been doing our own compost for our veggie/fruit garden but recently got a real compost bin. Before that, we've used one that The Lover built. He is very handy and has a green thumb!

We feel better about making our own fertilizer rather than buying it. Plus, it makes our veggies organic! He doesn't use pesticides or anything. We are pumped getting the garden started.

Do you have a veggie/fruit garden? What do you typically plant?

Bulgur Wheat & Strength Workout Question

2010-03-02T09:13:00.000-06:00

Morning! It's back to reality for me and may I just say it's going to be a doozy? I knew today will be and already has been crazy so I made a hearty breakfast. I've been wanting to try different grains besides barley, oatmeal, cous cous . . . you get the picture :0). Yesterday, I picked up a box of bulgur wheat with soy for extra oomph.

The bulgur takes 15 minutes to cook so I could let it simmer and get other things done at the same time.

In my bowl of grain-y delicousness was:

1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1 1/8 cup water
1.5T pumpkin butter
dash of pumpkin pie spice
dash of cinnamon
3t brown sugar
dash of rice milk
sprinkle of chocolate chips

It is wonderful! And a very nice change from oatmeal. I ate almost all of it but it's a lot so I'll use 1/4 cup of bulgur next time. Try it, you'll like it! You can also make tabouli with it so I'll be trying that in the near future!

Last week, Kerry asked: "How did you start adding weights and other workout into your running schedule? Right now I just run but I really need to firm up my belly. Two pregnancies have really taken a toll on it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!"

When I first started running, that was all I did. If I did do any type of strength, I was lucky to get one workout a week, if that. Over time, I realized I would be a stronger runner if I added strength to my routine. Plus, like you said Kerry, after two kids, the belly needed firming!

I run four days a week so I had the ability to add strength to the other days I wasn't running or crosstraining. I highly recommend Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred for mamas that are pressed for time. The workouts are 20 minutes and it's no joke! It's a combination of cardio and strength. She has killer core stregnthing moves like planks. I'll admit, it was tough to do the workouts at home, even for 20 minutes sometimes. If I was on the floor, the boys would climb all over me like a jungle gym. I'm all for added weight for more of a challenge but that was a bit over the top. So The Lover would watch them so I could do it. Sometimes I woke up early in the morning but I did not like that quite so much. :0)

I now do my strength routines at work on my lunch break but I know you are a stay-at-home-mama. If you can get it in while the girls are sleeping, do it! Or have your hubby watch them. You'll really see a difference in your running once you start incorporating strength into your routine. Also, when I run, I try to remember to keep my core tight (but not too tight) instead of letting it hang loose.

I hope that helps!

Good Day With The Lover

2010-03-01T20:23:00.000-06:00

Ahhh . . . such a relaxing day! After a trip, no matter how long or short, I always feel like I need a day to recuperate from the actual trip. Anyone else?

I didn't really have a lunch. Around lunch time, I had a half cup of Oikos vanilla yogurt with 1/4 cup of pumpkin flaxseed granola. I love Greek yogurt but they are a bit expensive. Thanks to Stonyfield for hooking me up with some coupons! We decided to hit Academy, the grocery store and Sam's for essentials. At Sam's, I had a huge soft pretzel with no salt or butter. I am a sucker for soft pretzels. I didn't take a pic but trust me, it was large and in charge. I had a hunk of amazing, multi-grain baguette we got from the stizore.

I know, I 'll quit doing the "iz" thing. I'm only like, 5 years late on that.

Dinner was incredible!

Side view:

Nom, nom, nom! I had a Boca burger on the multi-grain bagueete with spinach, white cheddah cheese and apple slices. The cheese was all melty and so good! The rest of the apple and grapes were on the side. Big Boy snatched my grapes when I left my plate unattended. Oops.

Time to get things ready for tomorrow and also get fresh sheets on the bed. Nothing like crawling into a freshly made bed! Night and I'll see ya tomorrow when I return to reality!

Relaxing Monday

2010-03-01T11:14:00.000-06:00

Morning! Geez, I didn't realize it's almost 1100 AM. We got to sleep in until 700 AM and it was so darn nice! Both boys woke up then and I prepared them for school. The Lover took them while I got ready for my run. My pre-run snack was freaking awesome. OK, it was so awesome because I cracked into the pumpkin butter. The smears of heaven were on a WW mini bagel.

Pumpkin butter, where have you been all my life? It has high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it but who cares? This stuff is soooo good!

I set off for my run and felt pretty optimistic. Once I got going, ugh! I could tell the weekend of fried foods (fries are evil lol) and beer (I had some high dollar Miller Lite for $8.50/bottle! Robbery!) affected me. I took more walking breaks and about 5.5 miles into it, I threw in the towel. Just wasn't feeling it so I called The Lover to pick me up. Yep, I sure did! Also, I knew The Lover was home and I just wanted to be home with him. Cheesy, I know.

After cleaning up, The Lover made breakfast for us.

Scrambled eggs, two Cuties, toasted sammie thin with more punkin buttah! Off to spend some time with The Lover and hopefully do some grocery shopping for the week! Time to get back on track and get my booty back in gear.

There's No Place Like Home

2010-02-28T21:05:00.002-06:00

Evening, all! What a great and fun family weekend! Friday night, as soon as I got home from work, we were on our way. I think I was able to get a short nursing sesh in with Baby Boy. The Lover had everything loaded and ready to go. We stopped about 2 hours later for dinner. We could tell both boys needed to get out and stretch their leggies. Baby Boy fell asleep for about an hour but Big Boy was up the whole time. When Baby Boy woke up, it was pretty hellish. He cried and wanted out of his carseat. Poor dude. We finally got to the hotel and when the boys walked into the room after the long car ride, they perked right back up and were like little wild animals bouncing off the walls. It was hilarious until about 1130 PM. Both The Lover and I were so ready for bed. I think the boys finally fell asleep around midnight. Talk about living on the edge lol.

Saturday was the big day: Monster Jam! I've never seen the new Cowboys Stadium - and to tell you the truth, I had no clue it was new! It's gorgeous! So shiny . . .

The weather was also faboosh! It was a mad house. So many people were there. I think they said over 70,000 people were there. Cah-razy! When we were heading to the pit party, it seemed like miles until we got there.

Here are a few highlights from the pit party and the show:

Big Boy, The Lover and Papa definitely had a wonderful time. Honestly, it was ok for me. Baby Boy wasn't supposed to go with us but he ended up going. He didn't want to leave the ear covers on. Can't blame him but I didn't want him to go deaf. Those trucks are loud! I took him out to the lobby area for part of the show and The Lover took over for another part. It was so great seeing Big Boy's face though. The excitement in his eyes . . . I'm just so glad we had the opportunity to take him. He had a blast.

I also did something I have never done and never thought I would do. Out of desperation, I nursed Baby Boy in a bathroom. I've always refused to nurse in the bathroom anywhere. When Baby Boy was a newborn, I did go into the bathroom to get him latched until I got the hang of it. After that, I was a pro. At the stadium, there were so many people and nowhere to sit and comfortably nurse. So, I went with the family restroom. C'est la vie!

The trip back home was much, much better. They were both exhausted and slept most of the way. We stopped at the state line for lunch and stopped again in Norman, OK. I've been wanting to visit Mason's Pecans and Peanuts, a local place that makes nut brittles, butters and cookies. We bought some things for the boys and of course some cookies but I'm most excited about finding pumpkin butter! Woohoo! Look for it in upcoming posts.

It feels so wonderful to be home! We had a fantastic time but there is nothing like your own house. I didn't document anything I ate but I promise you it was not healthy! I did get one short, 1.5 mile run in and it felt great. Thank goodness for hotel gyms. Not only was I happy to be home but so was Baby Boy. He was pretty clingy and not his usual happy-go-lucky self. The Lover and I kept asking each other, "What has gotten into him?" Baby Boy was back to normal the longer we were home. So nice!

I was also so happy about making my dinner in my own kitchen. Sounds crazy but we were so sick of eating out. For dinner tonight, I made tofu stir fry.

It contained:

1.5 servings of WW linguine
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cauliflower
1/2 cup shredded parsnips
1/2 cup shredded carrots
roasted tofu
1 T peanut butter
soy sauce

To prepare the tofu: I pressed it and sliced into cubes. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray, sprinkle S&P and some garlic powder. Roast in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. I prepared the linguine as directed, drained and added it to the broc, cauliflower, parsnips and carrots. Add the tofu, PB and soy sauce last. Full of veggies and carbs and it SO hit the spot!

I'm going to get the boys' things ready for school. They will be going to school and The Lover and I are off. We're looking forward to it! I'm also getting a 10 miler in tomorrow so I better hit the hay! Feels great to be home and I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed! Nighty night!

What's Up, Doc?

2010-02-26T14:19:00.000-06:00

Wow, time is flying by for me and I feel like I have so much work to do! Earlier, I had an apple snack attack.

I think I'm going to quit putting my apples into cups. It's not very green of me to use cups every time. Oopsie!

I had my snack way too early. By the time my run rolled around, I was hungry again. I had 1/3 of my Amazing Grass energy bar.

I was leary of the bar. I mean, come on. It's green!

But oh my goodness, it's good! Check your teeth after eating because you'll get some green goodness in the pearly whites!

Donna and I went for our run and about 1.75 miles into it, we picked up another co-worker to join us. All in all, we got 2.5 miles in. Totally a guess. I decided to take it easy on my left knee this week. It's been popping and hurting a bit and I didn't want to exacerbate it by logging too many miles.

Lunch was rushed and kind of a mish-mash of a few leftovers.

I had:

leftover cous cous (it's finally gone!)
a black bean and spinach salad topped with cheddar crumbles
two carrots
hummus on the side for dipping (not shown)

Though it was thrown together, it was quite tasty. I've been running around the office with a carrot hanging out of my mouth. GEEK CITY! Donna surprised me with some mittens I've been coveting!

And they double as fingerless gloves!

I am so lucky to have such great friends. I love that lady!

I am not sure I will be able to blog at all this weekend until Sunday evening. Just a heads up, kids! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and I'll miss my bloggie friends!

Friday Madness

2010-02-26T09:13:00.000-06:00

Morning, morning! I woke up to some snow on the ground. Luckily, it's not sticking around. Woohoo! We are all very excited for our family road trip after work and school today. I was actually getting on my own nerves running around trying to do last minute things while trying to get the boys and myself ready for the day. I really should plan better haha!

My core is screaming today. Last night, when I was rolling over in my sleep, I actually woke up because I could feel the soreness and perhaps a couple muscle spasms. I thought I had a pretty decent core but I guess it got punished yesterday. :0)

Breakfast was another super delicious Green Monster. This one was a beast. I had to drink a little before leaving the house because it did all fit in my cup. Both boys had a sip and also approved.

In my GM, I had:

Amazing Grass' chocolate flavored mix
2 handfuls of spinach
a bit less than a cup almond milk
a bit less than a cup coconut juice
2 T shredded coconut
1 banana
lots o' ice

Chocolate + coconut = HEAVEN! So good. The downside of the GMs is when people come into my office, I have to try not to smile. No matter how long I blend it, I'll have spinach in my teeth. :0)

While on our getaway, I'm a bit worried about the options available. Though I'm still eating some fish, I'm slowly trying to phase it out. This will be an interesting eats weekend I am sure!

Hope you have a great morning!

Twinkies

2010-02-25T15:40:00.000-06:00

I swear Donna and I are becoming twins! On Tuesday, we were running and I was complaining that my right booty was hurting and she said her left one was hurting. Today, we both were rocking dirty socks to the gym. She's like my long lost twin. The super cool part is that we have an age difference of more than 15 years but we get along so well. Ok, enough of that sappy stuff!

My pre-workout snack was two cuties and some chocolate mint tea.

We did tons of core work today. It was crazy but fun. While doing planks, all I could think was, "Thank you Jillian Michaels!" Thanks to her 30 Day Shred and No More Trouble Zones DVDs, I felt like I did pretty well with the planks and my form in general was pretty tight. RAISE THE ROOF!

Lunch was kind of rushed since I had a meeting soon after but it was still awesome!

All together:

I started munching on the carrot before taking a pic. I was hongree! My wrap contained:

sweet potato
spinach
hummus
1/2 cup butter beans

Put all ingredients on a Flat Out wrap and yummers. I gave butter beans a whirl for the second time in my life. I love red kidney, black, garbanzo . . . I'm a bean lover! But the butter beans were a bit bland to me. Thank goodness for the hummus on the wrap. I dipped the carrots in some leftover hummus.

If you can believe it, I was hungry again after the meeting! My snackaroo hit the spot as usual.

3/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup pumpkin flaxseed granola
sliced banana

I use the boys' tupperware containers to pack my lunch. They are so handy and just the right portion sizes! I love using Baby Boy's spoons and forks too. Again, perfect size and he doesn't use utensils yet so someone's gotta do it!

I pack my breakfast, lunch and snacks for a whole day. I'm in and out of the office fridge every couple hours. If I don't plan, I end up not always making the healthiest choices.

Do you plan your meals for the day or do you wing it?

Your Wish Is My Command

2010-02-25T08:42:00.000-06:00

Good morning! Today is our last day of sun and mild temps for awhile. Boo! But I'm going to enjoy being able to wear sunglasses. I know, I'm a geek. It was a big of a rough and sleepless night (don't you hate those?) so I wanted something energizing this morning for breakfast.

Sorry for the poor pic quality. I added some extra oomph to my Green Monster! Some Green Superfood went into the GM. Why hello, Baby Boy's telephone!

The GM was almost overflowing. My GM contained:

Super Food
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 large banana
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut juice
lots o' ice
2 T shredded coconut

If you couldn't tell, I could use an intervention for coconut. Blend it up and enjoy! I love GMs because they travel so well.

The Lover took the boys to school this morning. Woohoo! As we were all getting ready, I said to The Lover, "I wish I had a notebook." He said, "Oh, here you go, Babe!" I was thinking, seriously? SWEET. I turned around and he gave me a real notebook. I was talking about one of those little laptops. Hilarity! He's such a cutie. Feel free to gag on your breakfast haha! I love that guy.

Knowing The Lover, he'll be getting tons of laundry out of the way today. Monster Jam is on the horizon and I am feeling stressed about house chores. I hate coming home from a trip - even a short one - and the house is messy. My goal tonight is to clean and pack!

Hope you have a great morning! I'm ready to tackle the day and am hoping to get some core work in today as well. WHOOP!

Mediocre Run on a Beautiful Day

2010-02-24T14:01:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful day! It's super sunny and currently upper 40s. Perfect running weather! Donna had a lunch date so I was on my own today. I knew I wanted to run outside so I went with the outdoor route we tried on Monday. Before the run, I had a lovely banana.

It wasn't my best run. I really felt my energy lagging. Not sure what that was about but it sucked! I eked out 4.5 miles. Didn't make my 5 mile goal but I knew I didn't have it in me. I was hungry and really, not all that happy lol. I did get a good sweat on and that does make me happy.

My lunch was all about the leftovers from last night.

Salad with baby carrots and cheddar crumbles. I also had some WW cous cous that I had prepared with veggie broth, green onions, diced mushrooms and diced garlic. I'm pretty sure this will not last very long!

Sorry for the shortie post but I have a meeting in a bit. Have a good one!

Do It, Do It - Okay!

2010-02-24T09:16:00.000-06:00

Morning! Guess what song I heard on the radio this morning? That's right, Neon Moon. You know this chick started twanging! Big Boy even said, "This is my song." Darling. They were both great this morning. Is it because Monster Jam is on the horizon? Possibly. Or is it because they know their mama is frazzled and are treading very carefully? Likely! I'm just kidding. Though I am frazzled, I prefer to be busy and as much as I belly ache, I love it!

So last night, The Lover decided to surprise us with a special dessert.

Sorry about the poor pic quality. It's a brownie fudge sundae that totally rocked the buds! Baby Boy and I shared the single while The Lover and Big Boy split a double.

I prepared my breakfast last night: overnight oats. Love this stuff!

My awesome oats contained:

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup plain almond milk
1/4 coconut juice
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients, store in fridge overnight. This morning, I added 2 teaspoons shredded coconut, 1 small diced apple and diced almonds. Try not to moan with delight with every bite! I think I have finally found the right moisture combo that I prefer. Usually, the oats tend to be too dry for my tastes but with the almond milk and coconut juice, perfection!

I mentioned last night that my knee was popping like crazy yesterday. I was worried how it would be this morning but it seems fine. I'm not sure I'll get the full 10 miles of speedwork in today but I'm going for at least 5. It's still balls to the wall crazy at work so more than likely, 10 ain't gonna happen.

When I stayed home, I relied on The Lover and Nana to watch the boys while I did my thang. Now that I'm working again, I do it during the work day. For you working peeps, how and when do you fit work outs in? For you full time mamas, how and when do you fit work outs in?

Pop Goes the Knee-sel!

2010-02-23T20:39:00.000-06:00

Why hello there! Hope you are having a good evening. My evening has been pretty uneventful - just taking care of some bidness around here. I don't think I made much of a dent in the laundry but I'm trying! I'm trying to get better at doing household chores a little at a time so I don't have a bunch of catching up to do on the weekends. So far, so good. But there is always room for improvement.

For dinneroni, I went with simple and easy: salmon, salad and WW cous cous. To add some pizzazz to the cous cous, I prepared it with veggie broth instead of water. I also added some sliced mushrooms, green onions and diced garlic.

Oh and when I got home, I was so ravenous I had a PB & honey sammie. I inhaled it before taking a pic. Oops. The Lover went to get us a surprise dessert. I'll post a pic tomorrow morning. EXCITEMENT!

Also, my left knee is popping. I have a 10 speedwork run tomorrow but I may have to take it easy. I'll see how the knee is tomorrow morning.

Have a faboosh night!

Pump That Iron

2010-02-23T15:06:00.000-06:00

Cannot. Type. Right. Now. Just kidding! I definitely feel stregnth workout in my upper body and arms. They are like rubber hoses haha. It was a good workout. We did chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, glutes and quads. There were some walking lunges with weights thrown in the party. OUCH.

I had a mid-morning stress induced munch fest on NOO pretzels and a cutie. These pretzels rock my face off. I have to portion them out or I will go nuts on the bag.

Two hours later, my before workout snack was a cutie and cottage cheese.

I was so ready for lunch it wasn't even funny. I had leftover roasted veggies from last night's din-din.

Cold veggies are pretty good! I had it on a Flat Out wrap with some garlic roasted Sabra hummus. Bomb! I had 1.75 servings of the veggies. They were so yum-iriffic!

Back to the grindstone! I'm ready to cuddle with my dudes!

Happy Tuesday!

2010-02-23T09:02:00.000-06:00

Good mo'nin! How are you? The sun is shining today and though it's 27 degrees, it's beautiful outside! Isn't it funny how a little sunshine just lifts the mood? I am so ready for Spring.

Because it was a chilly morning, I was craving oatmeal. Oatmeal, I've missed you!

My warm, yummy oatmeal contained:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup water
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar

I prepared the oatmeal according to instructions. When it was almost finished, I added cinnamon, a splash of coconut juice and a splash of almond milk. Once I got to work, I topped it with chocolate chips, shredded coconut, 4 chopped almonds and sliced banana. I had chocolate mint tea on the side. I'm obesessed with chocolate mint tea!

It's going to be another day of ball to the wall crazy at work so I'll check ya after my iron pumping sesh! Have a fan-freaking-tastic morning!!

A Roaring Good Evening

2010-02-22T20:31:00.000-06:00

This evening has gone well! I felt super productive, the boys were so cheerful, Older Sis came for a visit and brought my nephews . . . superb! Older Sis and I usually see each other at least once a week but it's been pretty hectic since Nephew 2 came into the world. He's so darn cute. It is weird that I've had two babies but now that they are older, I almost forget what it's like to have a newborn. Older Sis also brought me a surprise: the lastest book of The Vampire Diaries series, The Return: Nightfall! I love my sisters!

While they were visiting, I had some Target's chickadees and flipped through my new Fitness magazine.

Once my sister and the nephews left, I threw a load of laundry in and started slicing and dicing in the kitchen. I came up with this mouthwateing creation, roasted veggie pizza.

My pizza consisted of:

butternut squash
parsnips
fresh spinach
mushrooms
broccoli
cheddar crumbles

To make this delish dish, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then dice butternut squash and parsnips. Put in oven and roast for about 10 - 15 minutes. Add broc and 'shrooms, toss all veggies with a glug of oil and two glugs of soy sauce. Roast for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Top a Flat Out wrap with fresh spinach, a few cheddar crumbles, roasted veggies, and more cheddar crumbles. Crank oven up to broil. Broil pizza until cheese is nice and melty. Easy peasy! The roasted veggies will make an appearance at tomorrow's lunch.

Both boys got a bath so they are so fresh and so clean-clean. Check out this cuteness!

I'm going to have a few of NOO fat free fig cookies with a glass of almond milk for dessert. More chores to do and I'm jumping into bed!

Dessert is a must for this chickie! Do you have dessert every night or is it something you can live without?

So. Freaking. Busy.

2010-02-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

I know I keep saying that but it's bonkers! Busy does make the day fly by and I can't complain about that.

Two Cuties jumped into my mouth. They make a perfect pre-run snackaroo. Don't be jealous of my fine (plastic) china. :0)

When Donna and I hit the gym, the dreadmills were full so we hoofed it outdoors. I prefer running outdoors over the 'mill but it was so cold. I had shorts on and my thighs turned bright red. Oopsie!

We ran two miles together and I ran another by myself. My legs still felt super tight after yesterday's 10 miler. I stretched really well yesterday and iced my knees like a good girl but the stiffness was still there. After the first mile today, it was better. I need to do yoga again!

Lunch was rockin'!

Lunch consisted of:

leftover Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque
cheddar crumble sammie (no toaster boo!)
bambino carrots x2

I also added a few cheddar crumbles to my soup. H-E-A-V-E-N! Time to get crackalackin'! I'm already thinking of everything that needs to be done at home. BONKERS!

Feel Good Monday

2010-02-22T08:58:00.002-06:00

*It's National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Please take a moment to check out this site: NEDA. *

Morning, folks! I can't believe the weekend is over already. It was such a fantastic one. Last night, I snuggled with Big Boy on the couch and we all watched Undercover Boss. I think I have a new show to add to the DVR! I really enjoyed that.

Both boys were so great this morning. Makes for a happy Monday! Baby Boy woke me up by sticking his fingers in my mouth. Cool. :0) They were so pleasant and were ready for school. I just love mornings like this!

For breakfast, I decided to go with an energizing Green Monster. I am addicted to these things! I love all things coconut and wanted to try something different with my GM. I had picked up a can of coconut juice at the Asian grocery store a couple months ago that I've been dying to try.

I recommend checking out your local Asian grocery stores for produce and things like tofu. It's usually a bit cheaper than regular stores and the selection of healthy products are pretty great. Of course, there are tons of foods that contain MSG and all that mess, so check labels!

My GM contained:

1 T ground flax
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup coconut juice
1 cup almond milk

Mmmm, mmmm, great! The coconut juice added an extra yum factor to the GM. Try it, you'll like it! This promises to be another busy week. We are also preparing things for Monster Jam! Whoop!

In honor of NEDA Awareness Week, Caitlin listed 10 positive qualities about herself without mentioning appearance. I felt inspired to do the same! Please share your list in the comments section!

1. I am a caring and good mama to two beautiful and healthy children.
2. I am a good wife to a fantastic husband.
3. I am a pretty kick booty cook.
4. I have come to love running and make time for myself to do it.
5. I have become a better driver.
6. I have a wonderful and supportive family.
7. I am pretty crafty when I want to be.
8. I don't love housework but I try my best.
9. I am a good listener.
10. I love myself!
Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Busy Weekend!

2010-02-21T16:27:00.000-06:00

Wow I can't believe the weekend is almost over. It's been so busy, busy, busy! This is going to be a long one!

I'll start with Saturday.

My mom came to get the boys around 330 PM. We hung out with my moms for a bit before they hit the road. We were almost clueless what to do with ourselves haha. We got ready for our date and headed to Kona Ranch. It's a Hawaiian inspired steakhouse. We hadn't been there in years. They have this coconut butter that is beyond words.

I had a ton of rolls and the yummy butter. I ordered a shrimp Caesar salad and had to send it back because there was bacon in it. This is a pic of the one with bacon.

This is me all smiley after living on the edge and having 1.5 beers. I'm a lighweight. What can I say? :0)

The Lover had a steak and we shared this decadent dessert.

YUMMY. It was a chocolate chunk cookie in a cinnamon butter with ice cream on top. Nom, nom, nom! The night ended with us watching "Role Models." I just love Paul Rudd! I was beyond stuffed. Like painfully stuffed. But it was such a wonderful night.

This morning, I woke up after sleeping until almost 800 AM! That's unheard of around here haha. I was afraid the weather wouldn't cooperate. I knew the temp would drop throughout the day so I knew I had to hit the road soon. I had mandatory coffee and a pre-run snack of PB, banana and sammie thin.

This was my second double digit run - 10 miles. I felt awesome! There were a lot of puddles but no more rain. I finished about 2:02 - not too shabby! I am definitely working on increasing my speed, slowly but surely. I took a Gu at mile 5 or 6. I started feeling hungry so I knew I needed it.

The Lover picked up the boys while I cleaned up. We visited Nana and she gave me a Kashi trail mix cookie (Baby Boy took half). So good! I love Kashi stuff.

For lunch we decided on Mexican food. I was still starving! Some chips, queso and salsa went down the hatch. I ordered a vegetarian taco salad. It had squash, mushrooms, beans, lettuce, onions . . . I don't know why I never tried it before. It was delicious! I had 2/3 of what is shown.

Baby Boy and I shared dessert.

Now I'm off to do a ton of chores. I haven't touched a thing all weekend! There wasn't even time to catch up on my DVRed shows. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Ahhhh, Saturday!

2010-02-20T13:33:00.000-06:00

Wowzers! Can't believe it's almost 130 PM already! We woke up pretty early and have been hanging with the boys until my mom picks them up. For breakfast, we headed to one of my favorite local places, Jimmy's Egg. Their food is so good!

The omelet was da bomb! It contained:

eggies
Swiss cheese
spinach
mushrooms
asparagus

On the side, home fries and homemade white toast. I thought I took a pic of the toast . . . .hmmmm. Anyhoo, to die for! I had half of the omelet and home fries. All my toast went down the hatch. Even though it's white bread, it's the best!

We then hit up Target to look for new kicks for Baby Boy. Big Boy insisted on a slushie so I got a hooge chocolate chunk cookie. Baby Boy and I were in heaven. Target's Valentine's Day stuff is 75% off! I love bargains.

I have a ten mile run on the agenda. I'm not certain if I'll do it today or tomorrow. But it will be conquered this weekend! Oh and check out these products Mother Love sent for review. Keep an eye out for my review soon!

Now to spend more time with my dudes before they hit the road!

Moms Can Do Anything

2010-02-19T14:16:00.002-06:00

I totally forgot about the conversation Big Boy and I had while on the way to school this morning. He asked me why there were no more dinosaurs. I told him what I could remember from school. And let me tell you, it wasn't much! So then he asked if I could bring them back and put them on some "dirt" so they could stay there and not step on us or eat us. Ummm . . . sure! I will get right on that. He didn't understand why keeping them on a lot of land wouldn't work and that Jurassic Park was fake. I'm glad he has so much faith in me and thinks I can bring those beasts back. I love my boys. They make me crazy and want to pull my hair out but seriously, they are awesome. They will be awesome from afar tomorrow because they are going to stay the night with my mama. I'm doing the cabbage patch right now. No joke. :0) Now I'm doing the "raise the roof" thing. Woohoo for date night!

Work was insane this morning. I caught myself doing a bit of stress noshing.

I had to tell myself to slow my roll on the snacking! About 30 minutes before our run, I had two Cuties.

I was so very ready to get my run ON and get some stress out. As tempted as I was to run into the liquor store that is close to work, I ran by it. The run was nice and sweaty! Donna did well and it was so nice to get out and try a new route. We had three cars honk at us while we doing our thang. It was like we had our own co-worker cheering section! YAY!

My lunch was calling my name.

My yummy lunch contained:

Flat Out wrap
4 sliced mushrooms
about 2 Tablespoons bean dip
spinach
left over crumbled tempeh (seasoned with taco seasoning)
shredded cheese

'Twas monstrous. On the side, I had bambino carrots and salsa for dipping. All together:

Do you have any special plans for the weekend?

Raise The Roof For Friday!

2010-02-19T09:16:00.001-06:00

Mo'nin! I am SO glad it's Friday! I'm jamming at my desk. Thank goodness for on-line radio! WHAT! Let's start with a recap from last night.

Baby Boy has been throwing these cah-razy tantrums for the past three nights. It's insane. He is typically very easy going and is totally like The Lover. He just goes with flow, is always smiling . . . but my baby has gone bat poop nutty. After 30 minutes of hoopla, he's all better. Like nothing happened. Hopefully it's teething!

For dinner, I had Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque.

My din-din included:

1 cup of soup
1 sammie thin
3 - 4 sliced mushrooms
spinach
cheese crumbles

I added some 'shrooms and cheese crumbles to the soup and had a cheese, 'shroom and spinach sammie on the side. Let me tell you, this din rocked my face off! The soup was awesome!

All together:

This morning, the boys were wonderful. I love mornings like this! For some reason, I woke up pretty darn hungry so I had half a toasted sammie thin with smudges of Artisana's coconut butter and cacao bliss (didn't see this on their site). The cacao bliss is kind of like a chocolate butter. I should have taken a pic of the jar!

DROOL-worthy! It was perfect to take the edge off my hunger. Typically, I don't wake up hungry. That's why taking my brekkie to work is perfect. By the time I get to work and get settled, hunger usually kicks in.

For my actual breakfast, I had a ferosh Green Monsta!

My GM contained:

1 Tablespoon ground flax
2 huge handfuls of spinach
1 banana
1.25 cups rice milk (my new love!)
1 Tablespoon shredded coconut

The coconut added a little somethin'-somethin'. It was delish! OK I must get to work. Today promises to be a busy day! Donna and I are also hitting the outdoors for a run. We're working on getting her accustomed to running outside. It's so different and more challenging than the 'mill. Have a fantastic morning!

Feeling The Burn!

2010-02-18T15:30:00.000-06:00

O.U.C.H. That's all I can say about that. There was no holding back today. Donna and I got served. Do people still say that? Anyhoo, today was a triceps, biceps and leg work out. To warm up, we jogged to the gym and then we were put through the wringer. That work out was insane. There was a lot of moaning and groaning and perhaps a big of cussing was thrown in the mix! We jogged back on jelly legs and were saying how it was an awesome work out. Now the longer we sit, we can really feel the soreness and stiffness setting in. I definitely need a good stretch when I get home. Surprisingly, the blisters didn't bother me at all during the jog. I have 3 miles planned for tomorrow so we shall see how these puppies treat me then!

Before pumping iron, I was really hungry! Around 1100 AM, I had a bag of pretzels and two Cuties.

Then an hour later, I had a banana.

As soon as I got back and changed, I was ready for lunch!

I had a serving of last night's pesto wheat spaghetti, half a cuke and a can of tuna. Yes, a can! I love tuna.

Anyone have suggestions/recipes for butternut squash?

I Want Your Lahv, Lahv, Lahv!

2010-02-18T09:36:00.000-06:00

Sorry, I have "Bad Romance" stuck in my head. I am so obsessed with Lady Gaga. Or as Big Boy calls her "Baby Gaga." Isn't that cute? Sleep was so awesome last night. My feet were happy when I got in bed. Both boys were fantastic this morning. I love when they wake up bubbly! Makes for a smooth sailing morning. Also, it's been so nice and sunny. Today will be another super weather day.

Brekkie was so good, however I was struck with some brekkie envy after seeing Andrea's breakfast burrito. Seriously? Are you joking my face? That beast looks amazing! Mine did its job (though I'm thinking I'll be trying to copy that burrito) and was delish!

I just love overnight oats and chocolate mint tea. Perfection! My oats contained:

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 rice milk
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons coconut flakes

Mix all ingredients well. Place in fridge overnight. Add toppings of choice the next morning. So easy! I added 3 teaspoons of NOO dried berry mix and 7 chopped almonds.

I couldn't help but chuckle when I read Melissa's comment about no blister or injured toenail pics because I really did try to take one this morning! But I decided to not ruin your brekkie. :0)

We're doing some weight training today and I'm ready! I'm more sore today from Tuesday's sesh than I was yesterday so I'm sure it will be a rough start. I love the BURN!

What's your favorite breakfast?

Badge of Honor

2010-02-17T21:04:00.001-06:00

I was super excited to leave work and tackle the 8 miles! The weather was perfect for running - no wind, sunny, 50s . . . amazing! I almost left work without my MP3 player but luckily remembered before I drove off. When I got home, I realized I had left my running shoes at work! NOOOOO! Instead of skipping the run, I said "To hell with it" and went with another pair of shoes. They are supposed to be running shoes but they SUCK. I didn't want to let a little ol' pair of shoes stop me so off I went. Things were pretty good until Mile 4. I took a Gu shot and realized the Sucky Shoes were rubbing both my arches. I was motivated to keep going because well, I needed to get home. I did a bit more walking than I wanted to. Those shoes were the devil! I just pushed through the pain the last 2 miles. Once I got home, I peeled off my socks and saw a huge quarter-sized blister on both my arches. Ouch. At lest I wasn't bleeding! I did try to take pics but my point-and-shoot was not cooperating.

I've been told that toenails that fall off and other running mishaps are considered badges of honor but the blisters, I could have done without!

Post run snacks were a handful of NOO dried berry mix and two handfuls of Target's chickadees.

Dinner was easy and simple! I was craving carbs and was super hongreeeee.

My dinner was:

sliced tomato
pesto wheat spaghetti (x2 - told ya I was hungry!)
crusty bread (x3 - I'm a sucka for bread)
a serving of grilled tilapia

For dessert, I had NOO ginger Hermit soft cookies (x2). OMG. So good.

I seriously need to work on my portion sizes. I measure out most things and eat healthy serving sizes but something about the longer runs . . . I am an endless pit of hunger!

The boys are bathed, lunch and breakfast are ready for tomorrow . . . time to get cozy and watch George Lopez and The Nanny on Nick at Nite.

Night, all!

Change of Plans

2010-02-17T13:42:00.000-06:00

In anticipation of my run and new route, I had a ginormous pear and almond buttah by Artisana!

My sad, empty jar:

So far, I've had their walnut butter and almond butter and I have to say I loved the walnut butter more. It was sooo good! I had to add a couple extra 'Os' so you got the picture!

Though I planned on running solo today, Donna and I ventured out to drive the route I had in mind to check distance. While driving the route, we saw some very suspicious vehicles and part of the route was creepy. I had to listen to my gut. Neither of us felt comfortable so instead of doing my run on my lunch break, I'm leaving a tad bit early to tackle the run in my 'hood. I would do the new route if I had a running partner but I just did not feel safe doing it on my own.

My lunch was leftover "taco" casserole from Monday night.

The casserole contained:

1 Flat Out wrap
1/3 crumbled block of tempeh
taco seasoning
about 1/3 cup shredded cheese
diced tomatoes

I didn't love it Monday night but it was way better today. Sometimes leftovers are just better after the first night!

Do you ever have a feeling if something isn't safe? Do you typically ignore it or listen to your "gut"?

Happy Humpday!

2010-02-17T09:56:00.001-06:00

Newman's Own Organics Giveaway Winner announced at the end of this post!

How are you today? So far, so good for me! I have a confession. I have been finding it difficult to do my evening posts - especially if The Lover is working late. I'm trying my best though!

Last night, there was plenty of tantrum action going on. There must have been something in the air because both my dudes were very cranky. I was so happy when The Lover came home. I practically threw the boys at him. :0) But it's kind of funny because Baba is so cool so they start running around and having fun with The Lover.

This morning has been great. The sun is shining, the temps should be in the lower 50s and The Lover took the boys to school today. He's also taking Baby Boy to have post-tubes check up.

For breakfast, I wanted to try something new. I picked up an individual serving of Kashi's H2H honey toasted cereal. I added 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt and a diced apple.

I received cashews with pomegranate and vanilla from Sahale Snacks to review. This is the pic from their site.

To add a little something extra to my brekkie, I topped my cereal with a tablespoon of the cashews. They were delish! For one serving (1/4 cup), it's 140 calories. A little high but it's very tasty. I could have eaten way more but it's best to pace myself because they were so good.

My cereal was a nice change from oatmeal and Green Monsters! I have an 8 miler on the schedule today and I plan on trying a new route. I know I won't be able to hack 8 miles on the dreadmill!

WINNER!

The winner of the Newman's Own Organics Giveaway is . . .

Kerry said...

We eat a lot of organic foods, but I haven't tried Newman's yet.

My 'me time'is usually while I take a long run. On Sunday mornings, I get up early and hi the road for a 13-14 mile run.It gives me time think about life and is an awesome stress reliever.

Congratulations, Kerry! Send me an e-mail at runrettarun@yahoo.com with your contact info and your goodies will be on their way!

Spaghetti Arms

2010-02-16T15:30:00.001-06:00

Before my iron pumping sesh, I had the other half of my Amazing Grass chocolate & PB bar from yesterday. You must try these! Yummy. I had it an hour before my work out and it was perfect.

As I was changing into my gym duds, I noticed I have candy canes imprinted on my leg. I think my socks are a little snug lol.

This is me excited to try a new work out!

This is me, not as excited anymore.

Donna was also not as excited once we got going.

We got our booties handed to us. Our "trainer" was a fellow co-worker that worked our upper bodies and I requested a booty firming exercise. 'Twas no joke! We'll be doing strength on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. It's easy to let strength work outs slide and I always have to remind myself that incorporating them will make me a stronger runner.

We jogged back to the office and our legs were quivering! We'll be sore tomorrow but it will be a good kind!

For lunch, I had a few bites of chips and queso. Oh my drool! I finally had to toss it or I would continue to much on that yumminess.

My real lunch was exactly what I had been craving: an apple and Swiss sammie. I had everything but the tomato.

The Cah-Razy Continues!

2010-02-16T11:32:00.000-06:00

I woke up from a night of great sleep. I love those kind of nights! I needed it, that's for sure. The morning went well. Both boys were in great moods. It was Mama that was dragging her booty!

Before my meeting this morning, I had a Green Monster. I remembered to take a pic about halfway through it. Oops!

My GM contained:

1 tablespoon ground flax
2 cups spinach
1.25 cup rice milk
1 banana
a dash of vanilla flavor

I grabbed a container of rice milk at the store last night. I like it! I also had a mini WW bagel in the car.

Now, I am noshing on some juicy strawberries!

Strawberries always remind me of summer. We definitely need to plant strawberries in our garden again this year. We - or I should say, The Lover - has a green thumb and plants a garden every summer. I've been thinking we need strawberries, yellow squash, cukes, spinach and asparagus this year. He's already rototilled the garden and has asked for plant requests from me. Isn't he awesome? He also built a compost bin for me but somehow he's been in charge of it. Oops.

I'm looking forward to an iron pumping session at lunch today!

Zzzzzzzz . . . .

2010-02-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

This is going to be a quick one, folks. When the boys and I walked in the door, we were greeted by this scary beast.

So. Much. Laundry! Did I touch it? Nope. I didn't have a chance. It's been b-a-n-a-n-a-s around here. I ran to the grocery store for some taco seasoning. We usually have that on hand but we ran out. GASP. For The Lover, I made a taco casserole using flour tortillas, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes and ground beef. For my version I used the widely searched for Flat Out wraps. I found them at Super Target. Woohoo.

I also used tempeh for my "meat".

Finished product:

In a glass baking dish, put torn up pieces of the wrap as the first layer. Second layer, crumbled tempeh, sprinkle taco seasoning and cheese. Third layer, diced tomatoes, repeat until ending with wrap as final layer. Sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes. Did I love it? No. It was ok. I liked the overall flavor but the texture of the tempeh kind of threw me off. I'm a newbie!

It will be an early morning tomorrow. I didn't have a chance to get my lunch and all my usual things ready tonight. I also have a meeting first thing so my morning post will be late. The bed beckons . . . Have a great night!

Ole!

2010-02-15T14:36:00.000-06:00

I had my nose to the grindstone until my tummy started talking to me at 1100 AM. I decided to try one of Amazing Grass' protein bars. Oh and two ibuprofen because my head was killing me.

The color on the inside was not what I was expecting but I quickly got over that because it was delicious! Seriously, PB and chocolate? I am so there! I'm saving the other half for another day. It is a bit calorie dense (270 for the entire bar) but it made a great pre-run snack.

After munching on the bar, I headed out for a 4 mile run. It felt wonderful! Some runs really suck but this one did not. I enjoyed myself. Once I got back, I was stah-ving. Donna wanted me to try apples dipped in hummus so I had two slices of apple with hummus. No pic sorry. It was a strange combo but it worked! I really liked it.

My lunch was gooooood!

I had the other half of my Amy's Spanish Rice & Red Bean soup. Yep, still amazing. In case you were wondering, the can looks like this and also check out the nutritional information. On the side, I had some multi-grain tortilla chips and salsa. I'm sure the chips weren't the healthiest but still love it!

Back to the grind! Thirteen days until Monster Jam. Big Boy can barely contain himself. Oh and speaking of that little stinker . . . he is at the age that he is wiping my kisses off. The thunder-like sound you just heard was my heart breaking. :0)

Pancake Monday

2010-02-15T09:16:00.000-06:00

Good morning! Super sorry for the lack of posting this weekend. I decided I really wanted to spend time with all three of my boys and also my fur-boys. Saturday was so nice outside that we did our errands and really, made up excuses so we could be outside! I did manage to get in a sesh of 30 Day Shred. It's been about two weeks since I've done a strength workout of any kind so I was sore. In a good way. The Lover, Big Boy and I did some golf practice in the back yard. We worked on our driving and chipping practice with a practice golf ball. I was also able to catch up on Lost and Vampire Diaries. O.M.G. So good!!

Sunday was 32 degrees! I don't understand the weather all. That was a 30 degree difference from Saturday! We decided to go out for breakfast and again, ran some errands. Instead of going to our usual grocery store, we went to Super Target. I love Super Target! Though the prices were higher, there was more of a selection and they even had things I had a hard time finding at the health food store. I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found Stonyfield's Oikos yogurt and also the Flat Out wraps. I've been looking for those everywhere.

I've really been slacking on my halfie training so this week is back on track time! I've been worried about peaking too early but I still need to log my miles and work on my speed. I may not have 9 minute miles by the time the marathon rolls around but I'd love to work on my speed regardless!

So my plans for the week:

Monday - 4 miles easy
Tuesday - strength
Wednesday - 8 mile tempo
Thursday - 3 mile easy/strength
Friday - strength
Saturday - 10 miles

My brekkie this morning rocked my face off!

Check out the mountain of fruity goodness. Two silver dollar pancakes, about 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese, sliced bananan and strawberries. DROOL.

Is it just me or do you also like the sore feeling after working out? Also, don't forget to enter the Newman's Own Organics giveaway!

Is That Sunshine?

2010-02-13T09:28:00.003-06:00

Don't forget to enter the Newman's Own Organics giveaway!
Good morning, all! Baby Boy is officially on the mend! We've been puke free for over 24 hours and his appetite is slowly coming back. Raise the roof! I'm so glad. I hate when my boys are sick.

We have family pictures scheduled today. The Lover is so not excited haha. We definitely need them done. The last time we have professional family pictures of our immediate family was when Big Boy was 3 months old. So yeah . . . it's way overdue. I'll be sure to post pics when we get them back. I'm super excited! I know they won't like sitting and posing but it's nice to have family portraits. I especially love black and whites. The sun is shining and it's hurting the eyeballs a bit. It's been a long time since we've had sun! It's also supposed to get close to 60 degrees today. What, what!

For dinner last night, I just wanted oatmeal so I made a heaping bowl of pumpkin oats.

My oats contained:

3/4 cup oats
1.25 cup water
2 teaspoons brown sugar
5 choppd almonds
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
cinnamon
flaked coconut

For breakfast this morning, I decided on a a roasted veggie omelet. I always manage to mess them up somehow but this one turned out really well!

My omelet (am I spelling that right) contained:

2 eggs
1 parsnip
3 mushrooms
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup soybeans
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
salsa on the side

I roasted all the veggies except the mushrooms on 400 degrees until the parsnips were semi-soft. I threw it in the omelet, added mushrooms and shredded cheddar (why do I keep forgetting the dairy thing!) and whad up, yo! It is delish!

OK. Time to get crackalackin'! Mama needs to do some ironing and primp for the pics! See you soon!

Surprise Lunch Date

2010-02-12T14:38:00.001-06:00

I was just working away when I got a text from The Lover and that he had gotten off work early. How nice! We decided to meet for lunch and swap vehicles since he would be picking up the boys. Again, I have to say that I'm a lucky girl. Instead of relaxing on this sunny day, The Lover will pick up Baby Boy from Nana's and later, Big Boy from daycare. We met at a pizza place that is down the street from the office. I ordered a small cheese pizza.

Just the way I like it! Very light on the tomato sauce and cheese. It was delish! I had three slices. I also had this for dessert.

Mmmm . . . hot fudge sundae with nuts and whip cream. Unfortunately, I was just too full and ate 1/4 of it and threw the rest away. Don't worry. I made sure I ate all the nuts off first!

After eating the pizza and sundae, I realized I was supposed to cut dairy from my diet. Oops. Baby Boy is still nursing and it's best he doesn't ingest dairy while he has the tummy bug. Evidently a tummy virus and dairy don't mix. He won't be happy about that but maybe I can distract him with something else. In case you were wondering, breast milk is not dairy. Interesting factoid, huh?

My run will have to wait. I think I seriously need a new pair of shoes. I've put many miles on my current pair and I'm really feeling it. (Hint, hint to The Lover!)

Don't forget to enter the Newman's Own Organics giveaway!

It's Friday! WHOOP!

2010-02-12T09:21:00.000-06:00

My first giveaway news at the end of this post!

Good morning! Hope it's going well for you. I'm so happy it's Friday. What a week. I let myself sleep in for a bit. I really, really wanted to sleep some more but basically had to use a spatula to scoop myself out of bed. I was a tired chick!

Coffee wasn't sitting well on my tummy today. Oatmeal sounded good but I decided to go for a Green Monster instead. So easy and takes very little time! To add a little pizzazz, I used Amazing Grass' chocolate flavored Green SuperFood. Check out the list of ingredients here.

To be honest, the first taste was not good. The second taste, a tiny bit better. And as I kept drinking it, it's a lot better and I prefer it over the Wheat Grass. My GM contained:

1 packet of chocolate flavored Green SuperFood
2 cups fresh spinach
1 banana
1.5 cup almond milk
lots of ice

DEEEEEELISH.

On the agenda today: reschedule Baby Boy's ENT appointment, schedule Big Boy's 4 year check up (I'm late!), work, work, and more work. I also plan on getting a 4 or 5 mile run in.

Newman's Own Organics Giveaway news!
I've been meaning to do a giveaway and haven't gotten a chance but I am ready to rock!

The NOO goodies look yummy, don't they? To be entered into the giveaway, please leave a comment answering this question:

How do you make "me" time for yourself?

I will draw a random winner and announce on morning Wednesday, February 17th! Good luck!

Me? An Athlete?

2010-02-11T14:41:00.002-06:00

Wow! A co-worker just said I was an athlete. I almost jumped over my desk to give that wonderful person a huge hug! I did refrain from invading that angel's personal space but was choking up inside. I have never been called an athlete nor have I ever considered myself to be one. Go, Me!

My nutty mid-morning eats included a banana & PB:

A couple hours later, a handful of cashews:

I set off for a run without having a mileage in mind. I knew I would not feel up to 8 miles but I told myself I would feel it out and just see. By the way, I forgot to mention that Baby Boy spread the germ love. Thanks, Babykins! Anyhoo, I jogged the 1/4 mile to the gym and it felt good. I kept an easy, steady pace on the "dreadmill" and ended at 3.5 miles and sprinted back from the gym - in the snow! Nothing Rocky style. It's barely coming down lol. A total of 4 miles. Not too shabby!

I'm a geek. I know. Lunch was delish! A cuke sammie with cream cheese and a tomato on the side.

Juggling Act!

2010-02-11T09:27:00.001-06:00

Morning, lovelies! Do you hear the circus music in the background? Today be cah-razy!!! Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday. Baby Boy is still struggling with tummy issues. My poor little man. I thought he was better but the daycare told me he was not himself yesterday. As soon as I got him in the car, he threw up. And he did again this morning. I'm pretty worried. After speaking with the pediatrician's office, I do feel better. There is a virus going around. I need to keep him hydrated so we'll be working on that. The Lover is home with him now. Again. What a great Baba! Hopefully Big Boy won't catch the virus. We've been trying to keep them apart but it's been hard. They just want to play and it's so darn cute! Baby Boy is still in good spirits though. What a trooper.

This is an oatmeal and hot tea kind of morning. My chocolate mint tea is to die for. Seriously. I've been using coffee filters to make my tea. Put the tea leaves in, twist it into a ball and drop it into hot water. No leaves to pick out of your teeth!

My oatmeal contained:

a little bit more than 1/2 cup of oatmeal
1 cup water
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
cinnamon
5 chopped almonds
splash of almond milk
2 teaspoons coconut
1 teaspoon flax
1 sliced banana

I totally missed my run yesterday and I'm not certain what today will be like. I'm trying not to freak out about my training schedule being off. The good thing is that I do have some flexibility since the half-marathon is 2.5 months away. That leaves some wiggle room to push my training back a week. Calm down, Retta!

I did hear "Fancy" this morning on the radio. Yes, I was just "twang-ing" away with Reba! Hmmm . . . I may have to do a little research and see if I can find the video. :0)

What do you do when you miss a work out due to unforseen circumstances? Do you freak out like me?

For your viewing enjoyment!

I'm a Lucky Girl!

2010-02-10T09:44:00.000-06:00

Morning! Baby Boy is almost 100%. He slept in late and is still a tad clingy but we were puke free all night! I was a tad concerned that he had a dry diaper this morning even after nursing a couple times last night. I think his body is just a bit dehydrated with getting sick so many times yesterday and will take a little time to get back to normal. We have our fingers crossed that Big Boy doesn't catch the bug! The Lover definitely did all the hard work yesterday. He's so awesome. I have stars in my eyes right now lol.

This morning was pretty much picture perfect. Both boys slept in a little bit, I watched an episode of The Vampire Diaries from January 28th while putting on my face . . . it was great! I love that show! I don't care if it's targeted for a younger audience - as is Twilight but I love that too! Out of the shows I DVR, I decided to take The Biggest Loser off the list. It coincides with Lost and Retta cannot live without Lost! I still haven't watched it from last week so I do have a maxxed out DVR right now but one of these days, I will catch up. Possibly this weekend since The Lover may be working. Boo!

The bag Amy's sent me makes a great lunch bag! I loaded it with yummy eats for the day.

For breakfast, I decided to go with Amazing Grass' Green Super Food.

I added it to my Green Monster. Check out the list of ingredients here. Because there is flax in it, I did without the ground flax in the GM.

My GM contained:

1 packet of Green Super Food
2 cups of spinach
1.5 cups of almond milk
1 banana
2 cups of ice

Add to blender in the order listed, liquefy and you're good to go. I was a little nervous about how the Super Food would taste because it does smell like grass! Because of the banana's sweetness, you really can't taste it at all! So far, so good!

I'll leave you with some facts about The Lover:

His paternal grandparents met on a blind date, as did his parents. We also met on a blind date!
He can fly a single engine plane and I used to go on flights with him. It was so fun.
He's afraid of heights.
He is super supportive of my running and watches the boys on my long runs.
Though he doesn't understand a lot of things in the Vietnamese culture, he does his best to learn.
He does a lot of laundry and even hang dries my clothes.
He puts up with my high maintenance ways. :0)
He always puts his family first.

I am a lucky girl! I have an 8 mile tempo run planned today. I swear I am going to get started on strength again soon. I have been slacking so badly in that department.

What makes your spouse/significant other so special?

Thank you, Amy's and Amazing Grass!

2010-02-09T20:14:00.001-06:00

Woohoo! I received two surprises today! One from Amy's Kitchen:

And one from Amazing Grass:

Excitement! When I got home from work, both Baby Boy and The Lover were passed out on the couch. So far, there have been no puking incidents but we do know that he has a stomach bug. Poor little guy. He's been playing a bit here and there. I had some pumpkin yogurt with pumpkin flaxseed granola for a snack.

I've been doing quite a bit of laundry. Baby Boy had a puke incident in his car seat earlier today and on a few outfits he's worn as well. That doesn't count a couple loads The Lover has done during the day! He's been a great Baba (daddy in Vietnamese) and it's his day off. What a great hubby!

For dinner, I tried Amy's new Spanish Rice & Red Bean soup.

I had half a can with a mini WW bagel.

They weren't joking when they said it was hearty. I added a bit of veggie broth. That soup was super thick! I was craving something warm and comforting and it definitely hit the spot. At only 130 calories for half the can, you can't beat it. I packed the other half of the can for lunch later this week. Yummmmmy!!

I will be trying these out for dessert!

Big Boy quickly snagged a couple :0). He approves!

Have a great night, everyone!

Short & Sweet

2010-02-09T15:20:00.000-06:00

I'm going to head out of work a bit early today. It just feels so strange to not be with my boys when they are sick. The Lover is doing a great job! My lunch was last night's leftovers of tilapia, artichokes and barley with celery and mushrooms.

The barley mixture got a turn in the microwave but not the tilapia. I didn't want the fish smell to permeate the place. It was better today than when I had it for dinner last night. Good stuff!

Sorry so short and sweet. I must go take care of the little fellow!

Oats In A Jar & Monster Jam

2010-02-09T10:38:00.000-06:00

Wowza! It's a busy morning at work but I love it! The Lover took the boys to school so I got to take it a little easy this morning. I even got to watch part of a CSI: Miami episode and was psyched to hear Nine Inch Nails in the background of the show. Yippee! I <3 NIN.

Baby Boy does seem to have a tummy bug so I'm not sure how things will work out today. We'll have to wait and see. Poor fellow. It just seems like one thing after another for my little man. No fever though, which is good.

I've been wanting to try oats in a jar for some time but haven't been able to until today! I waited until my jar of crunchy PB got low.

I prepared my oatmeal as usual using 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water and 1.5 teaspoons brown sugar. Pour the hot/warm oatmeal in the jar and stir well. Oatmeal softens the PB and should mix right in. I noticed mine was a little thick and I knew it would only get thicker during the drive to work. I added maybe 2 tablespoons of plain almond milk and it really gave it a nice, creamy consistency. A sliced banana went on top and voila! Heaven in a jar! Maybe there was a little too much PB but it should hold me over until lunch! Nom, nom, nom. Try it because I know you'll like it!

Do you know what this is?

I will be seeing a monster truck in person at the end of the month. Our present for Big Boy's birthday is that we are taking a family trip to Texas for a Monster Jam show! I am not into monster trucks but I've learned a thing or 10 about them because Big Boy ~~likes~~ is obsessed with them. The Lover and his brother took Big Boy to a show in Oklahoma City last year but we decided to go all out for his 4th. Like the drivers say, "Go big or go home!" It will be an interesting experience, I'm sure! Baby Boy will stay with Nana while The Lover, Papa, Big Boy and I see the show. The cool thing about going to Texas is that the arena is much bigger so there will be more trucks. I think there were only 6 in Oklahoma City last year.

Baby Boy is into Wow Wow Wubbzy and "cooking."

What are your kids obsessed with?

Miss Cranky Pants has left the building!

2010-02-08T20:43:00.000-06:00

Good evening! The rest of my work day continued to go well and that was great! After my early lunch, I had pumpkin yogurt with a sprinkle of flax seeds for a snack.

My yogurt contained:

1/2 cup of non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2.5 teaspoons brown sugar
about 1.5 teaspoons of ground flax

Delish! About two hours after my yogurt I was hungry again! I decided to try some walnut butter with an apple.

There was a bit of walnut shell in it but you can tell. It also says on the jar that it may contain a bit of shell. Can I just say that it was amazing? I have been living in a bubble, evidently! I have had peanut butter pretty much my whole life and I've tried soynut butter years ago. I seriously need to branch out more! The walnut butter and the apple were a perfect combo!

It was still snowing when I left work but it was pretty light, not big flakes like this morning. Once we got home, Baby Boy nursed and promptly fell asleep and woke at 715 PM. Big Boy and I snuggled on the couch and watch Transformers. I snacked on a mini-wheat bagel, some PB and a sliced banana. The Lover came home late from work and got home right before Baby Boy woke up.

Dinner was so very good. I made baked talapia with butter crumb topping. On the side were barley with celery and mushrooms and artichokes. The talipa was super easy. Just salt and pepper, bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Crush crackers into a bit of melted butter, put on tilapia and broil until crumbs are golden brown. So easy and so delicious!

I prepared the barley with my favorite veggie broth.

Normally, it is about $3.30 but it was on sale for $0.99! I bought two but I should have bought more. What a great deal! Time to give Baby Boy a bath, maybe have a little dessert and go to bed. I'm pooped! Have a wonderful night!

A Good Run, Faboosh Lunch & Exciting News!

2010-02-08T12:47:00.000-06:00

Good afternoon! I just reread my morning post and realized I sounded like such a Debbie Downer. I promise I wasn't trying to but I was so frustrated with how things went this morning. You win some and you lose some :0)!!

After writing my morning post, I tuned into an on-line Michael Jackson radio station. He always perks me up. As predicted, my 4 miler did indeed lift my spirits. Yay! Exercise does a body and mind good! I am going to try to get in some strength after work today. I haven't done any strength in a week!

I came back from my run to find a surprise waiting for me! I opened it quickly and the wonderful people at Premier Organics sent me an array of different butters to try.

From top left: Cacao Bliss, Coconut Butter, Cashew Butter, Almond Butter, Macadamia Butter, Walnut Butter and Tahini. I can't wait to try them all!

For lunch, I had packed a huge serving of some leftover cous cous with chickpeas, celery, baby carrots and garlic hummus.

Fresh, light and filling! So . . . on to my exciting news!! I am officially registered for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon! I signed up for the half-marathon and will be running on my employer's one of three relay teams. I'll start the first leg of the relay, which is a 6.2k and continue on to do the halfie. The 6.2k counts towards the 13.1 miles. It's official and I'm pumped! I'm about to break out into the Cabbage Patch. Ya'll remember that move from the early 90s? You know you remember how to do it!

I am being videotaped for a training segment later so I better go primp!

How do you get yourself out of a funk?

Reality Check

2010-02-08T09:22:00.001-06:00

This was a morning full of reality checks! I woke up at 600 AM though I should have gotten up at the regular 530 AM. The bed was just so warm and I was sleeping so well . . . but when I finally got my booty in gear, I realized it was a mistake to sleep in. I kept talking myself out of getting up because I had made my lunch the night before and I had chosen my outfit. I also didn't have to make breakfast because I had a leftover sweet potato pancake from Sunday.

The boys were great until about 715 AM. Now that Baby Boy is walking, he gets into everything. He came waltzing into the bathroom while I was getting ready with a pair of his brother's pants on his head. He always slams the door against the wall. Why it's necessary for him to use so much force, I have no clue. I caught him walking around with something he dug out of the kitchen trash can. Later, I heard water splashing on the floor only to discover that he is playing with our water dispenser and his socks are soaking wet. He also has this habit of throwing his toys away.

Big Boy is getting quite "mouth-y." I'm not sure that is a word but that's all I can think of right now. He's at the age where he will wear my nerves thin with the back talk and arguing about EVERYTHING. I had paused his movie so he could do something and when he got back, I didn't unpause it fast enough. He felt it was necessary to scold me. Holy Moly! Take a deep breath, Retta. . . He's four now, you know, so that means he is a big boy and he can talk like that. Yes, I am so rolling my eyes as I type this. He is definitely full of 'tude.

So when people act like motherhood is all sunshine and rainbows and it's oh-so-perfect and their children are such-little-angels - they are lying to your face! Yes, I would not change a thing and my children are amazing and I love them dearly but they make me want to pull my hair out at times. Going to work is like taking a break :0).

The drive to work was a slow and rough one. Big, beautiful and huge snow flakes were coming down hard and it was difficult to see at times. It doens't make it any easier when ding dongs don't turn on their headlights. I was parked when I took this photo so I promise I'm not a ding dong - well, sometimes.

For breakfast, I had a left over sweet potato pancake from yesterday. I topped it with 1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt and 1/2 tablespoon of flax. Delicious! Sorry, it's not very pretty. It was huge and I had to cut it up so it would "travel" better.

Another reality check: I'm not a huge fan of the scale. It's taken me a very long time to make peace with my body and to not let the number on the scale rule my life. I've gotten to the "happy" place and go more by the fit of my clothes. So when I pulled a pair of slack on this morning, I cringed when I could barely button them. Time to reign things back in! I really don't want to do the food journal again (right now) so I'll watch my portions and say goodbye to my flavored coffee creamer and boredom snacking.

Have a fantastic morning! I have a 4 miler planned today and I hope it perks me up!

Taking a Break

2010-02-07T15:43:00.001-06:00

Hello all! I'm sure you can tell but I am taking a break from blogging for the day to spend some time with The Lover and the boys. Have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow morning!

It's Over!

2010-02-06T17:58:00.000-06:00

Big Boy's party is over and the house is quiet. There was a lot of running around, cleaning, last minute errands but it was worth it. He had fun and that's all that matters. Before running to get balloons and other party essentials, I had a handful of NOO Soy Crisps White Cheddar flavor.

It was a little bland. I like super cheesy! Big Boy did not like it at all. Once the party got going, we had pizza for everyone. We ordered 2 bacon, 2 pepperoni, 2 spinach alfredo and 2 cheese pizzas. WAY TOO MUCH! But it's better to have too much than too little!

I definitely had way too much of the cheese and spinach alfredo.

I also had 2 (yes 2!) pieces of strawberry flavored Transformer cake. That was a really big hit. Johnnie's Sweet Creations made the cake (will have to post a pic on Monday). They are awesome. They did my baby shower cake and also Baby Boy's 1st birthday cake.

Big Boy went to my mom's house to stay the night, Baby Boy is passed out from too much excitement and this is The Lover trying to figure out Long Haul, Big Boy's new Transformer. Well, one of his new ones.

He has been messing with that thing for hours. He can't figure it out and he's not resting until he does :0). You know, the Transformers from when we were younger were so much easier to change but now, they enclose instructions for them because they are so high tech!

My plan is to get a 5 - 6 mile run in tomorrow. The weather isn't looking great for it but maybe I can tough out the cold rain before possible snow moves in. My wonderful friend, Susan, that lives in Maryland got slammed with 30.5 inches! They are snowed in for quite some time.

Hopefully I'll be back later - if I don't go into a pizza-induced coma!

A Berry Good Morning!

2010-02-06T08:05:00.001-06:00

Waking up at 600 AM on a Saturday morning is not on my list of favorite things! Oatmeal and coffee makes it so much better! I felt a little creative this morning and wanted to use NOO's Organic Dried Berry Blend of cherries, blueberries, cranberries and raisins. These were the stars of the show.

The finished product. Sorry about the crappy lighting. I left my camera cord at work (again!) so I'm taking pics with my phone all weekend.

My oatmeal contained:

1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1 cup water
1 tablespoon almond milk
3 tablespoons dried berries
1 tablespoon chocolate chips
4 chopped almonds

Prepare oatmeal according to directions. Add almond milk and toppings. Stir and enjoy! There is just something decandent about berries and chocolate. While my oatmeal was cooking, I had to snap this pic of Baby Boy shopping in the cabinets.

Big Boy never got into cabinets or tried to play in the toilet but Baby Boy does. It's definitely a learning experience for us. He gets into everything while Big Boy was so easy and laid back. Baby Boy definitely keeps us on our toes!

I'm off to prepare for Big Boy's par-tay today! So much to do and so little time!

Are your children like night and day? Share some stories!

Tea Time, Anyone?

2010-02-05T15:41:00.001-06:00

Good afternoon! I am so ready for the weekend to start. This week has been out of control! My boss, Donna and I practically ran out of the office at 1130 AM to head to Inspirations Tea Room in Edmond, OK. It was beautiful! I felt like I had to whisper and sit very straight :0). We started with a heart shaped apple cinnamon scone with lemon curd. I've never had lemon curd and it was to die for!

Isn't that adorable? Donna and I ordered chocolate mint tea. It smelled heavenly. No need for sugar or sweetener. It was perfect without any extras.

For lunch, I ordered the Mediterranean panini.

On the panini was portabella mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, sweet peppers, mozeralla cheese with pesto mayo. On the side were terra root chips, cukes, a wedge of cantaloupe, cheese and cherry tomatoes. Oh. My. Gosh. This was wonderful. I could only eat half the panini but every bite was sooo good! I can't wait for dinner so I can have the other half.

My boss surprised us by buying our lunch (yay!) and Donna surprised me by getting me some of that chocolate mint tea. It's loose leaf but I love that kind. I'll have to ration it out lol. These two ladies rock!

More than likely I won't have time to get a strength workout in tonight. We are prepping for Big Boy's party tomorrow. It will be so much fun!

I loved visiting the tea room. It's just fun and nice to be with the girls. Do you like the experience of tea rooms?