Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

A bike and a Swim {Minus the Swim} May 21, 2013

Filed under: Biking,Breakfast — Luv What You Do @ 9:43 am
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After falling asleep to intense thunderstorms and lightening last night, I was amazed to wake up with the sun shining through our bedroom window.  This morning’s workout plan was a 30 minute bike ride and a 15 minute swim at the Park Center.  However, with the sun beaming, I decided last minute to ride my bike to the gym and then swim and ride home.  I was so eager to try these Apple Eggie Cups (my new name for breakfast) that I devoured the first one without even thinking about a picture.

 

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I peeled the second one from the paper (they got a bit stuck) and then drizzled it with almond butter.

 

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I quickly rearranged my clothes for the morning and with a huge smile on my face, went outside to prep my bike.

 

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It was a gorgeous 60 degrees and as I pedaled along towards the gym, I imagined that this was my commute thinking about how happy that would make me.  Not of course if I was commuting my current 30 miles on the highway, but if I could find a job where riding my bike each morning was possible.

 

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The Park Center is an easy 1.5 mile bike ride through two neighborhoods.  With about 1/2 mile to go, I noticed a funny noise coming from my bike.  When I pulled into the Park Center, I started examining my back tire.  I could hear what sounded like air, but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

 

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Finally, my eyes settled on a HUGE nail sticking out of my tire.  In my last 4 years of riding, I have never had a nail in the tire and I wasn’t exactly sure what to do.  Part of me (ok, most of me) wanted to head inside and go for a swim. I mean, I just rode my bike in a bathing suit, that should count for something.  But a small part of me knew that with air leaking, I would return after my swim to a completely flat tire.  And with the BOY snoozing away at home, my rescue options were slim.

 

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Instead, I got back on my bike heading for home.  I made it 1 mile before the tire actually got flat at which point, I got off and started to walk my bike.  With about 2 blocks to go, my tire got so flimsy it was falling off the bike.  For fear of putting pressure on the rim and ruining the actual wheel, I decided to carry my bike the last 2 blocks home.

 

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That has to count for an arm workout…right?

 

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My back tire is in pretty bad shape, so I flipped my bike up side down in the garage and headed inside for a shower and a green smoothie. The BOY was already planning to do me a huge favor by taking my road bike to the shop today, so when he woke up, I asked him to strap this one onto the car too.  I know that I won’t last long with both bikes out of commission, and I need my hybrid from Bike the Drive this weekend.  Although I missed my swim, it might be for the best as I have had a bit of a cough all weekend.  Plus, I got to enjoy some quiet down time this morning for a smoothie and blogging before going into work.

 

 

Have you ever had a nail in your tire?

Car or Bike?

 

 

This whole incident reminded me of our flat tire in Florida last year!

 

Banana and Quinoa Pancakes May 13, 2013

Filed under: Biking,Breakfast — Luv What You Do @ 3:29 pm
Tags: , , , ,

During the week, breakfast is usually a make ahead option or something pretty quick.

Luckily, I have complied a list of easy and delicious healthy week day breakfast options…

 

Breakfast Stirfry

Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Smoothie

Dough Boy Smoothie

Hot Banana Breakfast Quinoa

Overnight Oats in a Jar

 

So on the weekends (and Mondays), I like to do something a little more fun.  For example…Pancakes!  Yes, this blog is full of them.  Mostly because they can be made quickly, offer tons of flexible options, and fuel a morning workout.

 

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This morning, I went with a twist on the 2 Ingredient Pancake adding in some leftover quinoa for protein and texture and cinnamon because that just makes everything taste better.

 

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I ended up with a plateful of tasty mini pancakes that I couldn’t wait to devour!

 

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There’s just something about starting off your day (and week) with a warm breakfast that just feels fun!

 

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By 10am, the weather had gotten about as warm as it was going to get for the day.  At 57 degrees, I was slightly disappointed, but it was time to climb onto my bicycle.  Over the last week, I didn’t get in all of my workouts (because it was busy AND because I was recovering from my half marathon), so I knew today needed to be worthwhile!

 

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I was happy that I added a long sleeve shirt before going outside because on my bike, the wind was chilly!

 

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I had the most peaceful and enjoyable 11 mile ride this morning.  The 45 minutes whizzed by as I soaked up the sunshine.  All of the water from the flooding is gone, and I swear that the grass and trees look even brighter than a week ago.

 

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I finished up my ride, returned my bike to the garage, and headed inside for half a Larabar and to change my shoes.  I have retired my original Pure Cadence shoes after the half marathon, and thought that this morning’s BRICK would be the perfect slow and steady run to start breaking in my new shoes.

 

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BTW, I can’t even begin to express how excited I am to have purple running shoes!  Although the same shoe (Brooks Pure Cadence) this is the second generation so it did feel a little different on my feet.  I ran for 30 minutes and this time took off my long sleeve layer to the heat and sun.  As I was walking out the door, the BOY started talking about lunch.  When I arrived home, he had a rich beer on the container with chicken prepped for the grill.

 

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I showered and got started on laundry, and the BOY excitedly manned the grill out back.

 

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He made himself a colorful Buffalo Chicken Wrap.

 

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And I stuck with simple grilled chicken, a sweet potato, and veggies.

 

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He made extras so I’d have lunch for the week.  AWESOME!

 

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The sun is calling my name, so I am heading out back to hang with the BOY.

Happy Monday!

 

 

Banana and Quinoa Pancakes

 

Ingredients

1 overripe banana, mashed

1 egg + 1 egg white

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Cinnamon to taste

 

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.

Preheat skillet or pan over medium/high heat.  Spray with cooking spray.  Drop batter onto skillet with 1/4 measuring cup.  After ~5-7 minutes flip pancakes if ready.  Let sit another 4-5 minutes. 

Serve warm with fruit, syrup, nut butters, coconut or your favorite toppings.

 

 

What is your favorite easy week day breakfast?

What do you like to make for breakfast on the weekends?

 

Home before 8pm May 7, 2013

Filed under: Biking,Dinner,Seafood — Luv What You Do @ 8:36 pm
Tags: ,

I got home a little after 5pm tonight and almost didn’t know what to do with myself…

 

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Except I knew exactly what I wanted to do!   I must admit even the neighbors were confused to see me home so early as I hopped on my bike and headed for the forest preserve path.  Note: this is a bad sign that your work/life balance is off!

 

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The trail was bustling with bikers.  I saw at least 10 in my first 3 minutes and there were certainly WAY more people out biking than walking or running.  It was exciting for me to be on the trail with my peeps (as opposed to first thing in the morning), and of course, I was thrilled to get in another outdoor bike ride.

 

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The main goal of my ride was to enjoy being outside with a secondary goal of working some lactic acid out of my post-race legs.

 

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It was incredible to see the lush green grass and the trees and flowers beginning to bloom.  I wasn’t sure how much of the path was still flooded and was bummed to see this section still covered.  I debated turning around, but in the end slowly forged ahead.

 

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It was a little deeper than I expected, but nothing my hybrid couldn’t handle.  While riding, I made a mental note to make an appointment to take in my road bike for new tires.

 

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Back home, I have a quiet evening ahead of me.  Although it is stunning outside (74 degrees and sunny), the BOY is currently taking a final, so he was not available to grill me up some dinner.  I had to resort to my trusty oven.

 

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I was able to make a simple and satisfying dinner that was hands off enough for me to check some emails and make some phone calls.  I had a sweet potato too, but I messed up my timing, so I ate that when I finished my fish.

 

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Check out tomorrow’s lunch leftovers (there’s fish under there too)!

 

 

Easy Week Night Dinner Option…

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Place precut broccoli on pan and drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle garlic powder and sea salt.

3. Scrub sweet potato and pierce with a knife.  Place sweet potato in the oven first.

4. Place broccoli in the oven about 10 minutes later.

5. Take two tilapia fillets and place them in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the fillets and sprinkle with seasoning (I prefer Cavender’s Greek seasoning).

6. Bake your fish for about 15 minutes, your broccoli for 35 minutes, and your potato for 40 minutes*.

*All times are approximates

 

Dinner is served!

 

My go to fish is salmon, but this fresh tilapia was a nice change…it got me thinking about how amazing a pistachio or pecan crusted tilapia would be…maybe next time!

 

 

What do you like to do when you get home early during the week?

 

Biking and Burgers April 22, 2013

Filed under: Biking,Turkey — Luv What You Do @ 8:23 pm
Tags: , , ,

So it’s Monday evening and I just realized that my most recent post is Five for Friday…yikes!  Not my most successful blogging weekend : )  No worries…I will try to make up for that in this post!  Thanks everyone for putting up with all of my complaints about the weather!  I understand that we don’t even have it the worst here in Chicago.  Good news…there are finally signs of spring.

 

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Yesterday, I was on the move from morning to night!  But I did get in a long run.  It’s incredible how hard it is to sit in class all day after being on my feet all week long at work.  If I weren’t meeting a friend to run, I would have cancelled, so that was great planning on my part.  We started running a little before 6pm.  The sun was still shining and the weather warm.  We ran a little over 90 minutes with a few water breaks.  I don’t typically run in the evenings.  One reason is that I get tired and want to cancel, but the other reason is that my tummy often gives me trouble.  I stayed away from all of my usual tummy triggers yesterday in hopes of a strong run.  Sadly, my stomach did not agree with the run and I still had chills and pain 2 hours later.  Boo!  I climbed into bed around 10pm.  Needless to say, I didn’t set an alarm for this morning, figuring I’d be awake and ready for CrossFit or yoga at 9:30am.

 

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When I finally opened my eyes and dragged myself out of bed, it was 10am.  I slept for 11 hours!!!  My stomach was feeling better but not great, so I went with a green purple smoothie for breakfast including everything but the kitchen sink (ie kale, cucumber, Greek yogurt, frozen berries).  The BOY had another pre-finals day at the library planned, but we did head out for a quick and early lunch at Panera.

 

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This is the BOY’s dessert : )  It was so cute that I had to snap a photo!  We swung by the grocery store for ingredients to make turkey burgers tonight on the grill.

 

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The BOY used his new burger making technique, to create some beautiful Santa Fe Turkey Burgers.

 

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Aren’t these some gorgeous burgers?

 

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While the BOY finished off his burgers, I prepped my bike for the first ride of the season!  Yes ladies and gentleman, I can finally stop complaining about the weather and get out on my bike!

 

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My first plan was to ride my road bike, but the tires were flat and not filling up well.  My hybrid was the perfect back up.

 

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Can you tell I’m psyched to get out and ride???

 

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The weather was gorgeous and the path alive with walkers, runners, and bikers.  I was so happy to be out on my bike…even as I pedaled hard with tired legs against the headwind.  I made it almost all the way around the path before I was stopped by the flood. 

 

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There was no way to make it through here, so I turned around and went back along the path and then cut across the road to make it home with enough time to change and grab a snack before my eye doctor appointment. 

 

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Talk about packing a lot into the day!  I had to snap a selfie of how ridiculous I looked driving around in the sunshine with dilated eyes.  I took my tired self back home for laundry and other household things that didn’t happen this weekend.  Around 6pm, the BOY returned from the library and heated up the grill.

 

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I am off to Florida at the end of the week, so there’s not much going on in terms of meal planning this week.  Our Santa Fe Turkey Burgers turned out awesome!  The BOY made them so there’s not much of a recipe to share, but I tried my best below!

 

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Told you I could pack A TON into this post!

After a 12 mile bike ride, my legs are ready for some rest.  It’s time to sit back and relax with some tea and a dark chocolate square!

See you tomorrow!

 

 

 

Santa Fe Turkey Burgers

Created by The BOY

 

Ingredients

1.25 lbs ground turkey meet (we used 93/7%)

Chopped onion and green peppers

Corn

Spices (the BOY was in charge of this area but it looked like garlic powder, sea salt, worchester, and soy sauce)

Feta (optional)

 

Directions

Mix all ingredients together.

Form into patties.

Grill or bake in the oven.

 

Indoor BRICK April 13, 2013

Filed under: Biking,Running — Luv What You Do @ 5:04 pm
Tags: , , , ,

With the launch of running season behind me and a Shamrock Shuffle 8k PR in my pocket, it is time to dive into some more serious training.  Ok, so probably not super serious, but definitely more time consuming!  I took the time to schedule out my workouts leading up to the half marathon on May 5th and sprint triathlon on June 16.  I am behind a bit in long runs, but have a weather dependent 10 miler scheduled for tomorrow with a friend.  On the calendar for today, my first BRICK of the year!

 

Unfortunately, I had a conference call this AM and missed my new spin class and the weather was not conducive to busting out my bike.  Total bummer because it’s almost May and my bike is still hanging up in the garage.  Since I am new to joining the park district, I sometimes forget about the resources I have access to for training.  When I arrived this morning, I asked if I could use the spin room for my workout.  They said that’d be fine but since the room was locked, it didn’t work out.  They mentioned that there are spin bikes, with clips in the gym that were currently empty.

 

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I walked over to the bikes and discovered this high-tech spin bike.

 

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Have you seen anything like this?

Since It’s been over a year since I had a gym membership, I have not.  I flipped through some of the programs and got started with an endurance ride.  However, the ride was pretty boring and so 10 minutes in, I switched to intervals.  It was much more engaging to have the instructor in the video pushing me along, but the music was pretty lame.  He claimed it was to help me ‘relax my upper body’.  Personally, I prefer something a little more upbeat, so I plugged into my ipod while following the directions written on the screen.  After 45 minute, I was sweating and pleased with my ride.  Not as exiting as a spin class but definitely better than pedaling away alone on a stationary bike!

 

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I changed my shoes, wiped down the bike, and found my way to the track for a 15 minute run.  Ahh…now I remember why this workout is called a BRICK.  It took me about 8 minutes to get into my groove, but the last half of the run left me feeling strong!  It was definitely a solid workout considering I had to stay indoors.  Here’s to hoping the rest of this year’s BRICKS can take place outside!  We had late lunch plans, so I came home to shower and have a quick snack.  I was craving a banana and almond butter, but my banana was super mushy…yuck!  So I mashed it up, stirred in the almond butter and a dash of cinnamon.

 

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I know it probably doesn’t look appetizing, but I dug in with a spoon and it tasted awesome!  The perfect carb/protein combo to tide me over until lunch.

 

 

What was your workout today?

Any random post workout snacks that you like?

 

Dusting off the Cobwebs March 23, 2013

Filed under: Biking — Luv What You Do @ 3:50 pm
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I love to spin!

I took my first class 10 years ago and have loved it ever since.  I was actually spinning every week years before the thought of purchasing an outdoor bike even crossed my mind.  I’ve taken spin classes in almost every city that I’ve lived since college, and I’ve had the opportunity to ride with some incredible teachers!

 

Why am I telling you all of this?

Well, because it crossed my mind as I was getting ready to go to spin this morning that you don’t know this about me because it’s been close to two years since I’ve been to a spin class.  I’m not exactly sure how I let that happen, but it definitely has something to do with the fact that when I moved in with the BOY a few years ago, I didn’t like the spin instructors at my new gym (like I said, I’ve been spoiled with some unique and motivating instructors) and then a year ago I quit the gym.  I have missed spinning ever since and get jealous when I read about the fun cycling studios on the east and west coasts.

 

I woke up this morning hoping to be able to attend the spin class at our park district (where I have been swimming and running along the track).  I made a spinach egg in a half pita for breakfast.

 

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And then walked upstairs to drag the BOY out of bed.  Last night, he was all talk about going to the gym this morning, so I provided some extra encouragement to get him moving.  Meanwhile, I had to dig my spin shoes out of the garage and literally dust off the cobwebs before throwing them into my bag.

 

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The spin class only has 10 bikes, so I was happy to see there was one available for me.  The BOY headed down to the gym to shoot some hoops while I adjusted my bike, clipped in, and warmed up my legs.  I had absolutely NO idea what to expect for the class, but I was hoping for that 600 calorie burn feeling that I’ve come to expect from a spin class.

 

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It took me about 20 minutes to get into my groove on the bike before adrenaline started pumping and I got lost in the music as we climbed up three challenging hills.  At the end of class, I was covered in sweat and basking in that post bike ride glow.  It wasn’t the toughest class I’ve ever taken, but definitely good for the local park district.

 

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What was fun about the bikes is that they showed rpm and distance which helped push me throughout the class.  After 60 minutes of continuous movement, I rode 23 miles which are the first biking miles to add to my Ironman March goal.  The BOY was waiting for me after we stretched, also sweating with red cheeks.  I forgot how exhausting biking is and was happy to have a few Coconut Balls left at home to snack on before lunch and Saturday errands.

 

So here’s the deal…I am eyeing a mid-June triathlon.

Last year, I let work and life stress get the best of me.  At the start of 2013, I vowed not to let this happen again.  One of my strategies for this year is to find some races and get training because as I described in this post, for me training leads to healthy lifestyle decisions and feeling good.  Plus, I just love setting a new goal and working to achieve it.  If I want to achieve a June triathlon (less than 3 months away) with this uncooperative weather (more snow expected tomorrow), I NEED to get to work!  This week of swimming and spinning is really the perfect start!  I haven’t been feeling much like a triathlete lately, but I got a glimpse of that back today.  And that has me feeling REAL GOOD!

 

Hanging up my Helmet November 12, 2012

Filed under: Biking — Luv What You Do @ 5:30 pm
Tags:

Around this time of year, the BOY starts asking me when he can hang up the bikes in the garage in order to fit in a car before the snow and slush arrive.  I told him to just give me until the end of this weekend since it was going to be a warm one.  On Saturday, I got out for my scheduled 12 miler.  Sunday is typically yoga, but since the BOY and I were up late celebrating his birthday, I decided to sleep in.  It was a gorgeous day, but really windy.  Not the kind of weather that my sore and tired legs could power through a bike ride.  Not a problem, I told myself, there is always tomorrow.  By Sunday night, the rain had rolled back into town and there was talk of snow on Monday.  Although I woke up to a sunny morning with not a flake it sight, the temperatures had plummeted over night.  29 degrees is way too cold for me when it comes to biking, so I headed off to my indoor yoga class instead.

 

 

As the time comes to hang up my helmet for the season, I can’t help but think about this season’s biking adventures.  I am always super excited when the weather starts to warm up in the spring, and I can get back outside on my bike.  But the season officially begins with Bike the Drive.

 

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After that, I spend my weekends taking long bike rides around town and discovered some new routes up to Barrington.  It was fun sharing the roads with so many other friendly bikers.

 

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Once I got back into my road bike groove, I built up to my favorite challenging workout, the BRICK.  I started slow adding on time in preparation for this summer’s triathlon.  Some of my toughest workouts were up in Wisconsin where I rode (and then ran) the hills.  I think that my bike made at least 4 trips up there this summer.

 

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Including when I competed in the Green Lake Triathlon.

 

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This summer, I got my first chance to commute by bike, which I loved!  I just wish that I had more opportunities!

 

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I participated in my first Fun Ride with some friends, which was a serious BLAST!

 

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And then went back to Wisconsin, this time to Door County, to explore the trails of Peninsula State Park.  I biked 4 mornings in a row which was pure bliss (especially because I had a newly broken toe).

 

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Which is why I knew I needed to get back up to Door County one more time before the weather got too cold.  This time, I convinced my Mom to go with me.  We had the best day biking around Washington Island.

 

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I chose not to complete my first Century Ride, but I haven’t given up on doing one in the future.  Instead, I took a relaxing ride around the path just as the leaves were beginning to change.

 

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Now that the weather has cooled, I bundled up for one last ride to Mariano’s last week.

 

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Which may just be my last ride of the year.  Even though the weather never went above 31 today, I am hoping that just maybe the BOY won’t get around to hanging up my bikes and maybe, just maybe we’ll have one more warmish weekend, so I won’t really have to hang up my helmet.  But even if my last ride of the year is behind me, I know that I got to try some new routes with new friends in new places this year, and I am thankful for every safe ride!  Now, I just need to find a GOOD local spin class to keep in top shape for next summer’s list of adventures!

 

For more biking love, you can read my Ode to My Bike post!

 

 

Who else has ‘Hung Up Their Helmet’?

What was your favorite ride this season?

 

Two Birds November 5, 2012

Filed under: Biking — Luv What You Do @ 5:19 pm
Tags: ,

It’s Monday afternoon, and I was in need of some exercise and a few ingredients from the grocery store.  Thanks to the new Mariano’s that opened up this fall, I was able to accomplish both in less than an hour.  One of the reasons I was most excited about the new Mariano’s in the neighborhood (besides all the obvious) was the ability to zip on over there as needed.  Mariano’s is just off the forest preserve path which makes it super easy to get to by bike.  What is not easy is biking home with 5 bags of groceries.  Since I only needed a few things for dinner, today seemed like the perfect day to pump some air into my tires.

 

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Since it was a chilly day, I bundled up good and grabbed a string bag to bring home my goods.

 

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I rode along the trail, which was peaceful and bare.

 

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In less than 2.5 miles, I was at the store.  I locked up my bike and headed in.  The good thing about biking to the store is that I am more likely to stick to my grocery list.

 

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Which was mostly the case until I saw these PB M&M’s 50% off.  I thought they would be perfect for a Peanut Butter Month recipe (although I haven’t decided exactly what yet).  I just have to find a place to hide them from the BOY or they’ll be gone by the end of the week.

 

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In less than an hour, I was back home throwing dinner into the crockpot and peeling kisses for Turtle Pretzels.  I couldn’t find Rolos, but I think that caramel kisses will work just as well.

 

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It was a short 5.5 mile ride, but biking always puts me in the best mood.  I am crossing my fingers to get in one more warm weather ride before hanging up my helmet this fall.  I am also hoping to have an awesome new dinner recipe coming your way soon!

 

Washington Island October 7, 2012

Filed under: Biking,Travel — Luv What You Do @ 4:59 pm
Tags: , ,

Washington Island is one of the few places in Door County that I have never visited, so when my Mom suggested spending the day there, I was psyched!

 

Source

This approximately 25 square mile island is located just north of the peninsula and is accessible by pedestrian or car ferry.  I had no idea what to expect going onto Washington Island, but I have to say that even though we had an incredible Sunday, spending Monday on Washington Island was my favorite day of our trip!

 

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We had some help planning our trip as my Mom has a friend who owns a home on the island.  There are ~700 year round residents on the island and that number can swell to 1500 during the summer. 

 

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The best way, we discovered, to explore the island is by bike!

 

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We boarded the ped ferry (bikes are free!) located right behind Charlie’s Smokehouse in Gill’s Rock, climbed up to the top deck and took the scenic 30 minute ride out to Washington Island.

 

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We arrived at the peer and studied our map and headed out towards town!

 

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Our first stop…Red Cup Coffee House for power bars.

 

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The café was adorable, but as it turns out, the power bars were actually at the Island Bread Company right next door!

 

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We had a fun chat with the owner of the bakery, who happens to be a biker.  She suggested an alternative and more scenic route around the island as opposed to our planned out and back.  My mom and I noshed on a bar (which was awesome) before heading out on our bike ride.

 

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The first portion of our ride was through the wooded southwest corner of the island.  It was a beautiful day to be out on a bike and we kept catching glimpses of the water.

 

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We also passed the Island Wheat barn where the wheat for Capital Brewery is grown.  I’m a huge fan of their beer!!!

 

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Towards the middle of the island, we discovered Mountain tower.

 

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There are 150 stairs leading up the mountain to the actual tower.

 

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From the top of the tower, you can see the north and east sides of the island.  The colors were spectacular, especially in contrast to the water and deep blue sky.

 

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Our next stop was northeast to the Jackson Harbor.

 

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From here you can see Rock Cut state park, which is a rustic island with no cars or bikes that you can only access from Washington Island…it’s pretty remote!

 

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By this point, we were pretty tired, but we biked west past the fine arts center in search of a late lunch. Fiddler’s Green was sadly closed, so we continued on.

 

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We found ourselves at School Beach.

 

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This limestone beach was really neat and beautiful on this crisp fall day!

 

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But don’t try to take a rock home for souvenir!  It is a $250 fine per rock!

 

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It was just a few more miles past a couple of barns and an ostrich farm before we finally made it into the tiny downtown.  Per recommendation, we swung into Nelsen’s Hall for a beer and lunch.

 

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After riding for 20 miles, we were pretty hungry and ready for a break.  Luckily, the bar had a few other friendly customers to swap stories with while we sipped on cold beer…Spotted Cow for Mom and Washington Island Wheat for me. 

 

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When in Rome Wisconsin!

 

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With rested legs, we were ready to ride the last few miles back to the port.  However, we made one last stop…

 

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The Danish Mill for dessert!

 

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The Oatmeal Cherry cookie was unreal!  We caught the last ferry off the island at 4pm returning to Charlie’s right before it closed to pick up some smoked fish to take home with us.

 

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It was such an awesome day exploring the island, meeting the locals, and even more special spending it with my Mom.  We made our way back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner.  We walked over to the BOY and my favorite restaurant, Wild Tomato and then found a pub to cheer on the Bear’s during Monday night football.  It was risky to be out in Green Bay territory, but we made some friends in blue and orange who happened to be camping in Peninsula State Park and were able to help me convince my Mom to go hiking one more time along the Eagle Trail.  For the second day in a row, we crashed into bed for a long night’s sleep!

 

If you are looking for more information about Washington Island, check out the Washington Island Visitors Guide or shoot me an email!  I definitely recommend visiting and TAKE YOUR BIKE!

 

Active Adventures in Door County October 6, 2012

Filed under: Biking,Exercise,Travel — Luv What You Do @ 9:36 am
Tags: , , , , ,

I finally have some time to sit down and share some of my Mom and my weekend adventures in Door County, Wisconsin.  The weather was superb and there are so many opportunities to be outside.  We took FULL advantage of them!  We brought up our bikes, and I had new hiking boots that I was eager to try.

 

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Sunday morning, we woke up early, ate breakfast on our back balcony, and then wandered over to the local coffee shop in Fish Creek called Linger.  They had a festive fall menu and we made a few new friends while we waited for our lattes.

 

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Afterwards, we grabbed our bikes and made our way north about 1 mile to the entrance of Peninsula State Park.

You might remember this path from THESE PICTURES.  It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks can make in terms of leaf color and temperature.

 

 

Biking in Peninsula State Park (the Sunset Trail)

 

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After our bike ride, we changed quickly and headed out for lunch.  Then drove east to the lake for some hiking at Cave Point in Jacksonport.  This is one of my favorite places to hike in Door County.  The BOY and I first hiked here last summer and again earlier this summer.

 

 

Hiking Cave Point

 

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It was gorgeous hiking along the bluffs and caves and then along the beach at Whitefish Dunes State Park.  We then celebrated with a wine tasting at my favorite Door County winery, Stone’s Throw Winery.

 

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And finished the day with a picnic at Sunset Beach!

 

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We packed a lot into our first full day!  I didn’t even include all of the shopping we did (being that it was the Fish Creek Inside Out Sales weekend).  My mom and I fell into bed fairly early because we had another adventurous day ahead of us!

 

 
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