Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

Weekend Over May 20, 2013

Filed under: Running,Breakfast,Life — Luv What You Do @ 9:18 pm
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Our weekend (stay)cation is over and it was back to the real world, complete with laundry and car maintenance appointments.  But first, I got in one last weekend workout.  I was debating between the bike or a run this morning, and my 10 mile race only 5 days away convinced me that another run in my new shoes was the way to go.  I headed out in the heat for a 6 mile run.  The last two days left my legs exhausted, so my miles were slow averaging around 9 minutes.  I arrived back home and beelined straight to the coconut water.  I was happy with my shoes throughout and I’m figuring if they are ready for 6 miles, then why not give 10 a try on Saturday?!

 

Lunch was BBQ leftovers before the BOY and I drove out west to drop off his car for scheduled maintenance.  Nearby the car dealership is a small outlet mall with a GAP, Banana, Reebok, and Ann Taylor.  The BOY and I walked around discovering bright spring clothing.  I picked up a few $6 tops for work and an adorable black and white striped tank.  Our next step was Good Will and then Jiffy Lube for an oil change for my car.  After 5 hours out and about, I returned the BOY to the car dealership, swung by the grocery, and finally made my way back home exhausted.

 

The BOY made us another tasty dinner on the grill while I dove into laundry and a few other chores.  We have more than enough food for leftovers this week, but I have been wanting to make these Apple Streusel Egg Muffins for weeks!  Finally, I had an evening to do it, BUT after I started, I realized I only had 4 eggs left (the full recipe calls for 9).

 

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Go figure!  I proceeded on cutting the entire recipe in half.  Since I already started the apples, I pulled half out to save for another time.  Apples + Cinnamon = A Happy Combination!

 

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I stirred all of the ingredients together and baked them in muffin liners for 30 minutes.

 

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My house smelled like my favorite breakfast place that is known for their apple pancakes.

 

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My muffins turned out a little darker than expected, most likely because I added some extra cinnamon.

 

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It’s another busy week ahead, so my plan is to have these protein packed muffins for breakfast on the go throughout the week.

 

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The good news is that we had an awesome weekend.  The bad news…I didn’t get to my closet cleaned (and now I have more clothes!).  More good news…I love this breakfast!

 

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Ok friends…It’s back to the work week!

 

 

 

Apple Streusel Egg Muffins

From Fast Paleo.com

 

Ingredients

3 large apples, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (approx. 2 cups)

3 Tbsp. warm water

2 tsp. cinnamon, divided

9 eggs

1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

3 Tbsp. coconut milk (or almond milk)

1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut flour (tough to find but I finally located it in the WF bulk bins)

1/4 tsp. baking soda

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium skillet, sauté the apples, water, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon until the apples are the consistency of chunky applesauce or apple pie filling (this took me ~30 minutes). Allow the mixture to cool before combining with the egg mixture.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, coconut milk, coconut flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the cooled apples, reserving 1/4 cup for a garnish.
Spoon egg and apple mixture into parchment cup lined muffin tins—1/4 cup each. Gently spoon about one teaspoon of the remaining apple mixture onto the top of each muffin.
Bake for 40 minutes*.

 

*Note-my half batch was ready in 30 minutes and probably could have been taken out closer to 25 minutes.

 

Tidbits of Saturday May 19, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Dinner,Seafood,Life — Luv What You Do @ 12:03 am
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Wake up (kind of), roll over, open eyes, blink at alarm clock, 9:30! No Way!!!

Consider going back to sleep, see the BOY smiling next to me, realize that I really should get up.

Stare at pantry considering breakfast, based on options, decide to make pancakes, sprinkle them with cinnamon.

 

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Change into biking clothes, apply sunscreen, fill water bottles, prepare fuel for BRICK.

 

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Don helmet, reset watch, reset mileage, ride out towards the path.

Ride north towards Barrington, enjoy the fresh air, smile and nod at fellow bikers, turn around and head back towards home.

 

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Enjoy the green trees and cool breeze. 

 

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Ride 16.75 miles in 70 minutes, which is longer than expected.

Arrive home, ditch helmet, change shoes, head back outside.

 

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Adjust 30 minute run to 20 minutes for time’s sake, return to the path, legs feel tired, but body feels strong.

Finish 20 minute run covered in sweat, drink cold water, cool down, take a shower.

Make lunch, lucky to have random leftovers of turkey burgers and lentils.

 

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Drink lots of water, pack up a snack (cantaloupe), and drive to the movie theater.

Order an iced tea, get comfy in seat, remember why I love this theater.

 

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Watch Star Trek movie, this is a GOOD movie, you should go see this movie!

Movie is over, must use the bathroom after drinking huge iced tea, pick up wine of the month at Cooper’s Hawk.

Drive home, take a few minutes to chill out, get ready for dinner, watch the Preakness, get excited about seafood.

 

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Decide to wear white before memorial day, haters need not comment.

Drive to Bob Chinn’s, get excited about no line, sit down, order dinner, and chat with the BOY.

 

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Love every bite of dinner, drive back home, crack open wine, and sit out back listening to music and chatting with the neighbors.

 

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Is there any better way to end the day?

 

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Share a tidbit from your Saturday!

 

Banana and Quinoa Pancakes May 13, 2013

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

 

Baked Apple Breakfast Quinoa May 8, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Grains,Turkey — Luv What You Do @ 9:07 pm
Tags: , ,

People are always shocked to hear that I eat quinoa for breakfast.  I mean, I don’t eat it every morning, but as this post shows, there is no meal (including dessert) that quinoa can’t participate in.  For the people who are curious along with surprised, I often share with them this recipe.

 

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Last night as I was pulling it together (you can prep ahead to save time in the mornings), it occurred to me that my bananas weren’t ripe enough.  Like that ever happens…usually I am overloaded with overripe bananas (hence all of the banana bread).  I knew that I could follow the recipe without banana, but that the nuttiness of the quinoa needed a little something sweet to balance the flavor.

 

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The only thing available in my house was some natural applesauce, so I decided to give it a go.  I also added in apple pie spice and then placed my concoction in the fridge overnight.  This is totally not necessary but helps speed things up in the morning.

 

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This morning, it took just 3 minutes and breakfast was ready.

 

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I topped my quinoa cake with almond butter which was delicious (although not so colorful).

 

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It was quite a filling breakfast that kept me moving almost until lunch (my stomach started growling around 11:30am), which was only slightly embarrassing.

 

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The Baked Apple Breakfast Quinoa was good, but my favorite remains the banana!   Although if my bananas are still green, this will make a good stand in for tomorrow’s breakfast.

 

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So now that I showed you how I started the day…let me also share how I finished it (in terms of food anyways…there was some Downton Abbey involved as well).  Another easy and healthy dinner…turkey taco salad!  Even easier because the BOY had the turkey done before I  got home : )

 

 

Do you eat quinoa for breakfast?  What’s your favorite recipe?

 

 

Baked Apple Breakfast Quinoa

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 egg + 1 egg white

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Chopped apple (optional)

1 tbsp ground flax

Apple pie spice

 

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  Stir well.

Microwave for 3 minutes until center is set and cake like.

Cool slightly before eating.

Top with jelly, nut butter, coconut, maple syrup, etc.

 

They’re Back April 17, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Fruit,Oatmeal,Vegan — Luv What You Do @ 9:41 pm
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Overnight oats are back!

 

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Woo Hoo!  It’s been a little while since I’ve had this breakfast, so I whipped up a batch in prep for tomorrow morning’s track workout.  I am meeting a coworker at the indoor track near work, so it was an early morning…perfect for breakfast in the car.  I convinced my coworker to try one of my new favorite interval workouts, so we’ll see how it goes.  With breakfast and a friend waiting, it will be hard to sleep in…even if it is another grey day!

 

Not yet back…the sun!

 

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It’s been way too long since we’ve seen you!

 

Also back in the picture…

 

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Banana Soft Serve (with almond butter)!

 

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This stuff is amazing!  But even better with a tiny cookie dough ball.

 

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It’s about as close to a homemade DQ blizzard as you can get!

 

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Although my workouts are going well (I ran 9.5 miles this weekend), my eating has been a bit overboard.  It’s really time to get that BACK on track!

 

 

What’s back in your world???

 

 

Banana Almond Butter Soft Serve

 

Ingredients

1 frozen banana

2-3 tbsp almond milk

1-2 tbsp almond butter

Chocolate chips (optional)

 

Directions

Place frozen banana and almond milk in food processor.  Blend until smooth, adding more milk as needed.  Add almond butter and chocolate chips (if using) and blend until well combined.  Eat immediately!

Optional: Stir in more chocolate chips, peanuts, or Vegan Cookie Dough Balls!

 

A Breakfast Fit For Race Day April 10, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Oatmeal,Triathlon — Luv What You Do @ 8:46 pm
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This breakfast came together accidently.

 

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Although I wish I could take full credit for being innovative and creative, I really just had some leftover quinoa that I didn’t want to waste and a few overripe bananas from my mom.

 

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And a need to make a breakfast that could travel with me over the weekend.

 

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Ta Dah!!!

 

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The quinoa adds a hint of nuttiness, which is PERFECT for a pre-race brekkie!  And a PR!

 

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I ate my first slice warm straight out of the oven because I had to run off to spin, and then packed two to go for my weekend race in the city.  The last slice I froze for later in he week.  It will be great to eat on the way to the gym.

 

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On the exercise front…

I signed up for my FIRST triathlon of the year!  I will be doing the Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon on June 16th!  Can you tell I’m excited?

I probably could have stayed in bed yesterday morning!  After an active weekend in the city, including a fast 8k race, my bed was a happy place for me to stay (possibly all day).  But with a half marathon in just a few weeks, a spring triathlon, and the promise of a hot tub, I left my comfy bed despite the gray skies and pouring rain.  Although I had intended on a bike/swim medley, I ended up only going to the pool for 25 minutes of swimming and 10 minutes in the glorious hot tub, nestled in next to the jets.  It was glorious!

 

 

Banana Quinoa Baked Breakfast Oats

Makes 4 servings

 

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked oats

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp ground flax seed

3 overripe bananas, mashed

1 egg

1 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.

Stir together uncooked oats, cooked quinoa, baking powder, cinnamon, and flax.  Set aside.

Mash bananas until smooth.  Beat in egg, almond milk, vanilla and beat well.  Stir in dry ingredients until just blended.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, until middle is set.

Eat warm or freeze for later.

 

Chocolate Almond Butter and Banana green Smoothie April 1, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Exercise,Smoothies — Luv What You Do @ 8:01 pm
Tags: , , ,

Good Monday Morning!

I hope that ya’ll had an excellent weekend!

The BOY and I were super low key, which meant that I was in bed every night between 10-11pm and sleeping until 8am.  I must say 9+ hours of sleep per night does a lot for your energy levels.  I am feeling refreshed after a crazy work week and ready to tackle the day.  This is easy for me to say, remember, because I don’t work on Mondays : )

 

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My first job was to tackle breakfast.  For me breakfast is the hardest meal of the day to figure out on Passover.  I didn’t prep anything last night and just wasn’t in the mood to make pancakes.  Smoothies for breakfast don’t typically fill me up (especially since I couldn’t add oats), but I decided to try making a hearty Chocolate Almond Butter and Banana Green Smoothie.

 

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Mostly because I had the ingredients in the house and because a smoothie sounded refreshing this morning.

 

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I may have gone a little overboard in an attempt to fuel myself through this mornings workout, so feel free to adjust ingredient quantities as desired.  I will tell you that this smoothie comes out thick which is perfect to sip slowly while you check email and prepare for the day ahead.

 

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I was able to find a similar recipe on the blog for a Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Smoothie.  It was just over 1 year ago, and I can’t believe it was warm enough for me to exercise in the back yard!!!

 

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After breakfast, it was off to tackle ‘Barbara’

Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Rest precisely three minutes between each round.

 

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I chose to do ‘Barbara Lite’ as recommended for those doing CrossFit less than 2 months.  I think I’m right at that 2 month cusp, but 150 pushups just seemed, what’s the word…oh yeah, impossible!

 

Barbara Lite

10 Pull-ups (I used the green band)

20 Push-ups

30 Sit-ups

40 squats

5 rounds with precisely 3 minutes rest in between each round.

 

This was a really challenging workout but thus far one of my favorites.  No heavy weights to lift and a busy group of people getting their work done while cheering each other on.  I may feel differently in the morning when I can’t move…I’ll let you know.

 

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The last task of the day (because I got a lot of laundry and boring house stuff done yesterday) was meal planning.  And this week’s planning was fairly simple.  Tomorrow night is the end of Passover and the BOY will be ordering a pizza the moment he walks in the door with or without me.  Plus, I have dinner plans for Thursday.  I wanted to make a Sweet Potato and Kale Soup today for lunch this week, but the grocery store was out of one ingredient and a few others didn’t look so fresh, so I scratched that idea.

 

Sunday: Beer Can Chicken

 

Monday: Grilled Flounder with Broccoli (Hooray for grilling season!)

 

Tuesday: Pizza for the BOY/Thai Veggie Burgers for Me

 

Wednesday: Grilled Garlic Pepper Shrimp (from the BOY’s BBQ book)

 

Thursday: Out to Eat

 

Friday: As always, we shall play it by ear

 

Lunch: Strawberry Balsamic Quinoa Salad

Snack: Coconut Fudge Balls

 

 

Do you drink smoothies for breakfast?

What is your favorite one?

Anyone play an April Fool’s prank today?

 

 

 

Chocolate Almond Butter

and Banana Green Smoothie

Ingredients

1 handful of kale

1 banana, chopped

1 cup of almond milk

2 tbsp (14g) of cacao powder

1 tbsp (10 g) ground flax seed

2 tbsp (32 g) of almond butter

Ice

 

Directions

Place all ingredients except ice in the blender.  Combine well.  Add ice and blend to desired consistency.

 

Who’s Jenna? March 18, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Exercise,Lunch — Luv What You Do @ 3:42 pm
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And why do I hate her so much?

 

After eating more carbs this weekend than I had in the previous 2 months combined (not a complaint, just a fact), it was necessary to start Monday morning off well!

 

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I made a batch of Friday Morning Pancakes for breakfast.  But instead of eating them with a pint, I had myself a mug of Chai tea.

 

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Then sat down to check out what CrossFit had in store for me this morning.  Apparently the answer was Jenna?!

 

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All I can say is that this was the HARDEST WORKOUT EVER (and I didn’t even do the Px weight).  I don’t even know the last time that I did a dead lift, and I was worried that I would hurt my back.  But we did a lot of practice and warm up without any weight before practicing with weight.  In the end, I decided to go with 85 pounds.  The Manmakers were an entirely different story.  I didn’t feel anything like a man, just like a baby who wanted to cry.

 

Source

 

A Manmaker starts in the pushup position holding onto two dumbbells. 

One rep goes as follows…

Push Up

Left Row

Push Up

Right Row

Push Up

Squat

Clean

Press Overhead

Repeat!

 

14 reps took up the majority of my time and I used 20 pound weights.  I definitely didn’t get my chest down to the ground on every push up and my heart was beating out of my chest.  Somehow I finished just shy of the 20 minute max in 18:30.  It was brutal!  And I was super sweaty when I was done!

 

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Not too sweaty to make a quick stop by Target to pick up some colorful socks for the Shamrock Shuffle next month.  Then, I swung back home to pick up the BOY for lunch and errands…our typical Monday activities!

 

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We went to Jason’s Deli for soups, sandwiches, and salads.

And of course, the free ice cream!

 

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We had some major shopping to do at Costco, and our car was packed by the time we pulled back into the driveway.

 

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After a cold and icy morning, we were both thrilled to be back home in our warm house!

And I needed to rest my exhausted body on the couch while I caught up on Grey’s Anatomy!

 

White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Raisin Cookies March 16, 2013

Filed under: Cookies,Dessert,Oatmeal — Luv What You Do @ 8:09 am
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As you read this, the BOY and I are most likely sitting at Pints and Pancakes drinking some GREEN beer and celebrating St. Patty’s Day in St. Louis!  Woo Hoo!

 

We have close friends who live on the Illinois side of the city (the same friends we partied in Las Vegas with last year), and it has been WAY TOO long since the four of us have gotten together!

 

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We always have a ton of fun when we are together, and I’m sure St. Patty’s Day will be no different.

 

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I knew that there was no way that I would show up in St. Louis empty handed.

 

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So on Monday, I pulled out butter in the morning with intentions of making cookies.  A quick view of the pantry confirmed that I have an overwhelming amount of peanut butter chips, white chocolate chunks, and dried fruit, including raisins.

 

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The only thing missing was the oats, which I was able to pick up at the grocery store, and I was all set to make oatmeal raisin cookies.  There are plenty of oatmeal raisin cookies out there, and I’ve made my fair share of cookies on this blog.

 

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I went with a new to me recipe from a close friend’s blog.  She has tons of incredible desserts and makes some of the prettiest cookies that I’ve seen!

 

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Oatmeal raisin cookies are the BOY’s favorite, and I’ve met few people who can say no to a soft and sweet gooey dessert.

 

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In honor of St. Patty’s Day, I added a little green ‘flair’ to a few of the cookies.

 

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This recipe made more than enough cookies for me to bring into work and still have plenty to freeze for this weekend.

 

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The warm white chocolate melts in your mouth and compliments the plump golden raisins perfectly!

 

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This is a delicious combination!

 

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You won’t be able to eat just one!

 

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The BOY was excited to dive into these cookies, but I know he will be even more excited when our friends offer him homemade deer jerky this weekend!

 

Happy St. Patty’s Day

 

 

White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Adapted from The Sugar Coated Chef

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies

 

Ingredients

    1 cup unsalted butter

    3/4 cup granulated sugar

    3/4 cup brown sugar

    2 eggs

    2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

    1 1/2 cups flour

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

    3 cups rolled oats

    1 1/2 cups raisins

    1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

     

      Directions

      Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.

      Combine dry ingredients. Stir them into the butter mixture until well blended.

      Add raisins and white chocolate chips. Drop by spoonful onto a lined baking sheet.

      Bake about 11 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. Cool on a wire rack before storing in an air tight container.

      Freeze leftovers.

       

      Friday Morning Vacation March 15, 2013

      Filed under: Bread,Breakfast,Life,Running — Luv What You Do @ 11:52 am
      Tags: , , , , ,

      I am beyond thrilled with my last minute decision to take the entire day off of work instead of working 5 hours in the morning and then driving back home (30 miles) before driving down to St. Louis!

       

      I slept in well past my first patient, and I finally learned how to make flip pancakes!

       

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      Yum!  These are incredible!

       

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      I had time to make another loaf of Irish Soda Bread to take with us this weekend.

       

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      And then sat down to catch up on blog reading, emails, and tea drinking while my bread cooked. 

       

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      A little after 10am, I pulled my bread out of the oven and headed outside for some fresh air and sunshine.  Both have been lacking this week!  I also just needed some quiet and alone time, and the path is always so peaceful!

       

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      With the all of the ice, snow, and rain these past few weeks, the path was a bit of a mess.  There was ice along some parts that needed to be walked over and a flood so bad that I would have needed a canoe to get across.  Running (and walking) along the trail, I felt calmer than I had all week!

       

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      I walked in the front door just after the start of the Indiana vs Illinois basketball game, and.sat down to watch the game with a shamrock shake.

       

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      Yea Right!  It’s just a kale, orange, mango green smoothie, which is super tasty!

      I definitely need to have more Friday morning vacations in my life!

       

       

       

      Friday Morning Pancakes

      Adapted from Two Ingredient Pancakes

       

      Ingredients

      1 banana, mashed

      1 egg

      1/4 cup almond meal

       

      Directions

      Combine all three ingredients and stir well.

      Pour batter onto a pre-heated, coated-in-non-stick-cooking-spray skillet or fry pan.

      Cook and flip!  Top with your favorite pancakes toppings.

       

       
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