Happy 2012 everyone!  We had a great time celebrating our Nothingness New Year.  I was in bed by 10 (after celebrating on Eastern time) but we totally woke up with all the fire works going off over the bay LOL.  I will say it was totally hard to stay in because I wanted to drive our new car like anywhere and ummm everywhere LOL.

2012 started off on a FANTASTIC note for me ~ I LOST 2.4 LBS!!! I honestly feel like I am “In The Zone” now that the holidays are over….I am ready to move onto my next MINI goal.

Valentine’s Day!!! Our leader asked us today to think about ONE thing we would like to accomplish between NOW and Valentine’s day.  TWO thoughts came to mind.

1. ~ Instead of my Monthly Resolutions this year, I am focusing on having a “THEME FOR THE YEAR”. 

My Theme this is consistency!  I want to consistently track my food, workout, get in my healthy guidelines, focus on more simply filling meals and finding balance in my life.  I can list so many areas in my life I want and need to work on consistently.  I plan on being CONSISTENT all year long ~ you can expect to see me shout out the ways I am doing that too!

CONSISTENCY is truly what is going to make my LIFESTYLE stick!

2.  My MINI goal from now until Valentine’s day ~ Lose 7 LBS!  I can exceed it, but, I want to set an attainable goal I can achieve.

As usual, my leader hooked us up with one delicious breakfast that was only 3 points+!

3 Cinna-MINI Muffins (2 points+)

A slice of an Asparagus Tortilla (1 points+) ~ this is a Simply Filling Food and I am totally making it this week!

All balanced out with another Simply Filling Power food ~ Apple!

Doesn’t she rocked?! It’s awesome that she hooks us up with food, but, in all honesty ~ she is the reason for my success…..she motivates me all week long to work for the results at the scale!

After my meeting, I zoomed home and grabbed The Husband and his Mom.  We stopped at Starbuck’s on our way out for a MINI Road Trip.

Venti Iced Nonfat Decaf Latte with Caramel Drizzle (3 points+) and it fits into Simply Filling.

We spent four hours (being tortured) walking around the Alameda Antique Fair.  If you are someone who loves that like The Husband and his mom, then, you need to check it out ~ there are over 1,000 vendors.

My FAVORITE part of the fair are the rows and rows of Food Trucks   The Husband and I grabbed these BBQ Pork Skewers are we walked around.   Not totally a simply filling food because of the BBQ sauce, but, a good choice nonetheless.  (4 points+)

On our way back into town, we stopped at Boudin for Soup Bowls and Salads!

1/2 a Spring Salad ~ “mixed greens, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries, granny smith apples,
feta cheese, tossed with our balsamic vinaigrette dressing” (7 points+)

Tomato Basil Soup with GIGANTIC Homemade Croutons in a Bread Bowl. 

If you eat the soup and crouton’s with the ENTIRE bread bowl it is 16 points+.  I ate all the soup and croutons with my bread bowl top only for 8 points+.

It’s a good thing Boudin isn’t closer or I’d go there all the time for meals like this!

I am still full so we have skipped out plans to grill tonight.  If I get “snacky” later, I plan on having a big Asian Pear and a cheese stick.

My MINI Motivator!!!  Yesterday we bought a brand new 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman.

I told The Husband since we have a “Fit” MINI, I want to get MINI to fit in it LOL….plus, the more I lose, the more bags we can carry

I was SO SAD to let go of my Toyota 4Runner because it gave us 9 good years……But, the time has come to let go and move on to something that is GREENER & more fuel efficient.

Not to mention totally FUN to drive! I could go on for days about all the things I LOVE about our new car….but, instead, I’ll just sum it up with ~ IT’S SO FREAKIN’ COOL!

The Husband said our new car is a BOY car because it’s a countryman ~ I say it’s a boy car because it has black socks with black shoes (totally intentional because they won’t show the dirt like silver rims).

We are currently debating what to “NAME OUR MINI”  He totally think it NEEDS to have a name.

Q’s ~ Sooooo, I have to ask:

1. Do you name your car? If so, I want to know ~ what is the name?

2.  What name would you all call our new car?

See you all tomorrow night with my weekly menu which will include a few Simply Filling Ideas.

Night all!

Happy 1….1…..11!  It’s kinda cool there are so many “1’s” in today’s date. 

It’s the time of year where I usually sit down and make out this HUGE list of resolutions plus goals for the year.

I typically do a 12 month series where I set a goal for each month.

They say that it takes 21 days to form a habit so the goal is to have a new “habit” formed each month and end the year with 12 habits I can carry forward.  I have found that this is the “secret to my success” of actually accomplishing my New Year’s Resolutions.  It’s easier to tackle something for 30 days than to tackle it all year long.

My GOALS go anywhere from something physical like working out for 10 minutes a day or doing 100 crunches a day to something related to eating, focusing on getting in my water each day or 7-9 servings fruits/veggies a day to something I shouldn’t do (like avoiding candy).  I like my resolutions and goals to be specific so I can track them and to cover my overall well being ~ health, relationships and living life to the fullest.

I LOVE making them, but, even more, I LOVE the feeling of accomplishment I have each month when I reflect and realize what I accomplished.  All those little successes add up!

Year long resolutions:

1. Lose 10% of my body weight and get back to my happy weight
2. Start a good book and continue reading both books/magazines for “me” time throughout the year. It’s GOOD to get away from the computer!
3. Focus on my relationship w/The Husband – making sure I find time for him/us, including regular date nights, traveling/vacationing and just enjoying each other daily.
4. Journal every bite I eat this year – good or bad – if I bite it, I write it!  Focus on at least 1 NEW recipe each week.
5. Take my measurements each month & complete my 12 month series of goal!

My 12 month Series:

Jan – Get back to 100+ oz water daily. Start small and GO BIG ~ Wk 1 – 64+oz, Wk 2 – 72+oz, Wk 3 – 80+oz, Wk 4 0 88+oz, Wk 5 – 96+oz.

Feb – Yoga Month ~ find balance each day with 29 days of Yoga.  Plus 5+ fruits/veggies every day ~ focus on the FREE things I can eat!

Mar – Eating out Challenge, eat out no more than once a week

Apr –  25 pushups per day

May – Work up to 100 crunches/day

Jun – Celebrate summer with 10,000+ step daily challenge.  Plus 2+ dairy each day.

July – Strength training 3 days each work – legs, arms and CORE – 1x/wk for each

Aug – Cardio 3 days a week for 20 minutes – min.

Sept – Fun step challenge ~ shoot for 10,000 steps per day or boost it to challenge myself if I am already at 10,000 steps.

Oct – Vitamins daily, including iron. Eliminate negative thoughts – work on positive thoughts. Have 1 month of optimism – find the positive in everything no matter what life dishes up

Nov – 30 Day Shred – focus on 9 HG’s daily – 100%

Dec – Daily Exercise even if it is just for 10 minutes. Get into the holiday spirit by exercising daily, counting everything, no BLT’s – plan and be successful this holiday season!

TADAHHH!!!! That’s it….Just a few goals to work on

This morning started off with another Pumpkin Walnut Muffin (6 points+).  Don’t worry, I made sure to share and FREEZE the rest so you all don’t keep seeing them forever

It is so nice to know I can enjoy a BIG 6 points+ muffin and have a BIG bowl of blueberries & a banana without breaking my points+ budget at breakfast.  This combo kept me full for 3 hours today.

Ever since I bought that SUPER SPICY Buffalo Wing Cheddar Cheese, I have been dreaming of making it into CHEESY, GOOEY Quesadillas.

I used a Trader Joe’s Organic Flour/Corn Tortilla with 1 oz of Buffalo Wing Cheese (7 pts+)

I paired it with crunchy veggies & ranch (2 pts+) and HUGE Seedless Holiday Grapes.

We decided to stay in out of the stormy weather today and relax.  The Husband has been completely emerged in all the Football Bowl games while I have been catching up on The Food Network and reading

I don’t know why, but, whenever, I am sitting around like that, I always want to “snack”.  I wanted something salty and crunchy to munch on. 

Leftover Stuffed Mushrooms totally cure my craving. (4 points+)  I actually think they might be better the next day.

I actually debated cooking dinner (I want to make That Crunchy Cashew Chicken Salad!) and having leftovers.  When I realized I could make some Green Chili Cheese Corn Bread my decision was made.

I took the Krusteaz Natural Honey Corn Bread mix and prepared it according to the directions on the box.  Then, for “fun” I added 1 cup lowfat Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1 cup Corn and 1 4 oz can Fire Roasted Green Chilies.  AMAZING!!!! 

I had TWO pieces like this ~ one of course right after I cut it and one with dinner. (5 pts+ a slice)

I crumbled my cornbread over 1 cup of White Turkey Chili drizzled with BBQ Sauce. (5 pts+)

We DEFINITELY have to go back to the Caribbean now that our BBQ sauce is all gone.  This is seriously the BEST BBQ sauce I’ve ever had…..I wonder if that is a good enough reason to go

One more day to enter to win some FREE Chobani Greek Yogurt.

Q’s

1.  What is BEST BBQ Sauce you’ve ever had or BEST BBQ place you’ve ever been to?

Just another REASON to go to the Caribbean ~ Maybe I NEED to add TRAVEL MORE to my GOALS!  Best BBQ I’ve ever had was at the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill in Maho Beach, St. Marteeen.  I have forever been trying to replicate the Steak Sandwich they have that The Husband loves.

Night all!

Happy Friday Eve all!!!  Thanks so much for your feedback regarding what I should do ~ I really do appreciate it and I never realized how much you loved Danica’s Daily just as is!  Maybe sometimes you just need to know people enjoy your rambles

Because I LOVE you all right back, I think I will stick with what you enjoy reading.  I really do have fun rambling on, sharing my eats, recipes, The Husband’s Quirkness, pictures and whatever sounds good that day.

UMMMM, so be scared, I have A LOT to say today

Speaking of The Husband’s goofiness….this was on the wall when I came home today.

He honestly goes through withdrawals from the time Football ends until it begins again.  I guess I can relate because I am THAT WAY about Farmer’s Market Season 

Have I ever told you all I am a breakfast person?  As in I HAVE to have it or I may get a little grouchy….it’s true LOL.

I managed to put together my breakfast, lunch and snacks this morning in 5 minutes tossing them all in my Trader Joe’s back.  It’s not fancy, but, it was all delicious and fit within my September Goals!

I feel like I need to clean up my act a little bit and get back to WHOLE, CLEAN foods, so I have set mini goals each week this month.

This week goes something like this ~ (A little Weight Watchers “HARD” CORE) I find that sometimes it is easier to focus on healthy guidelines/Simply Filling Foods than actual points. 

If you put so much of the good stuff in there isn’t really much room for the not so good stuff.

Breakfast ~ 1/2 cup veggies with 2 oz protein and a dairy

Snacks ~ 1/2 cup veggies plus 1 oz of protein or maybe veggies/nuts or any combination

Lunch & Dinner ~ 3 oz protein, 2 cups of veggies, 2 servings healthy fat, 1 svg dairy

Dessert ~ Optional, but, only eaten if truly hungry, around 100 calories (2 pts)

Insert lots and lots of water and my vitamins daily too!

I think my co-workers think I am crazy that I make OMELETS in the microwave, but, it’s SO EASY!

1.  Start off by spraying a bowl with nonstick spray.

2.  Add your favorite OMELET ingredients.  I had time to chop up a zucchini and a mini roma then tossed them with 1/2 cup Egg Beaters, 2 Tbsp LF Mexican Cheese, TAPATIO Hot Sauce, sea salt and pepper.

**If you do not have time to chop, whirl it all up in your Magic Bullet pulsating to chop it up.  It doesn’t look pretty, but, it works just the same.

Microwave for 2 minutes.

Tadah!!! 2 step, 2 minute omelet (ok, well scramble because I mixed it before I took the picture). (2 pts)

Plus a little dairy ~ Iced Nonfat Decaf Latte (2 pts)

Mid morning snackage ~ TJ’s Lite String Cheese & Cucumber Slices (1 point)

Have you all seen these new Wholly Guacamole 100 Calorie Packs?  I LOVE them because they come pretty close to tasting like homemade guacamole, but, also because they are the perfect portion with nothing to save that turns brown (2 pts!)

2 Minute (7 point) Salad too

Organic Mixed Greens & Cherry Tomatoes

2 Tbsp Garbanzo Beans

3 oz grilled chicken

100 cal Guacamole

2 Tbsp Newman’s Lite Lime Vinaigrette

The Husband asked me to make him some jello this week and I have secretly been stealing it each day!

I topped it with HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM! It’s way better for you than the chemicals that make up cool whip and so incredibly easy to make.

HERE IS HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1 tsp Good Quality Vanilla Extract

Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until you reach “whipped cream” consistency.  Store covered in the fridge.

Makes16 servings, 1 tablespoon each.  1 point!

We went to Vasquez for dinner since we haven’t gone in over a month ~ crazy!!

I ordered a Spicy Chicken Taco Salad with Guacamole, then, used their hot sauce as my dressing. (10 point estimate and worth every one) ~ it’s all about their chicken

Do you all have any GOALS for September?

Mine is to lose 15 lbs….so far, drum roll please….I am down 5.6 lbs

Have an awesome FRIDAY ~ Night all!

Happy Friday Eve all!  This week’s Wordless Wednesday were pictures taken during The Husband’s and I very first vacation together as boyfriend/girlfriend.  We went to the Caribbean Islands of St. Thomas and St. John.  FUN TIMES, now we are just old, but, still travel the world together

Yesterday I had my WEIGH IN and I lost almost 1 lb ~ 0.8 lbs ~ $8 more dollars bringing my total Summer Cruise Clothes bank balance to $18!

I also got my super cool 5K Charm from doing the Walk It! Challenge. It’s cute, huh?  Weight Watchers gives you several little charms that you collect on a Key Chain you get when you lose 10% of your body weight.  I am such a little things person ~ seriously little charms & $$ totally do it for me LOL! 

Today was a breakfast repeat ~ Double Fiber Orowheat with whipped buttah & raspberry jam (5 points).

1 1/3 cup Watermelon (1 pt)…I would’ve eaten more but I totally wanted to save more for tomorrow

My co-worker and I decided there was a NEED for crispy, crunchy sandwiches for lunch.

I got the usual ~ turkey Plus AVOCADO & all the veggies along with Baked Lays (8 pts)

But, really she twisted my arm by mentioning the Over The Top Shop Flavors!

In the MIX:

Vanilla & Dulche de Leche FROYO!

The BEST caramel sauce ever

RAINBOW sprinkles

and maybe a few pieces of Heath Bar might have appeared (5 pts)

After work I rushed to the Farmer’s Market to pick up the goodies for our Farmer’s Market Friday tomorrow at work….Pictures coming up tomorrow as part of Photo Friday!

Then, it was off to a meeting we had a few towns over.  I think the ONLY reason that makes driving almost 2 hours in traffic worth it is Jack’s Urban Eats!

I actually refrained a little today & got a half salad!

* Mixed Greens

* Kidney Beans/Garbanzo Beans

* Red Peppers

* Pickled Onions – I LOVE these!

* Pepperoncini’s

* Dried Cranberries

* Candied Walnuts

* Balsamic Dressing

and possibly the BEST Buffalo Chicken Strips ever!!!

8 point estimate and worth EVERY BITE!

So, you know the question was coming….ARE YOU A LITTLE THNGS PERSON TOO?? What makes you happy and motivated?

Happy “Almost” Friday all!!!!

HI everyone!  Wow ~ how I’ve missed you all and blogging ~ seriously….has it really been THAT long?!  My camera says yes, but, I guess it really has only been a day or two since I’ve last rambled on  

Life has been so insanely busy for us with each day packed full of some fun and some not so fun stuff.  So, to keep my post from being a marathon post, I think I’ll hit the highlights and HOPEFULLY blogging LIFE will go back to normal soon!

I had WEIGH in today and I LOST 1 LB which means my secret savings $10 richer ~ wahoooo!!!

How cute is my leader with the signs she made up ~ I LOVE that the Carrot has MUSCLES!

And this is totally going to be my mantra this week!

CHALLENGE!!! This week she challenged us all to fill half our plates with fruits/veggies at every meal.  I am totally going to focus on doing this ~ anyone want to join in too?  I’d love to hear all the fun ways you get your 5 a day!

* FOOD HIGHLIGHTS *

Just  a few of my favorite things (aside from leftovers) that we’ve had the past few days.

I LOVE veggie trays, watermelon & Farmer’s Market Fridays!

I LOVE Chipotle Chicken Salads!  Did you all know they have their recipe for their chicken marinade  online? I SO need to try making it!

10 points and worth every HEAPING point.  I <3 Guacamole!

Snackage!  I finally decided to give Fiber Gourmet Lite Cheese Snacks that I received awhile back a try.

WOW, an entire bag of crackers you can eat for ONLY 1 POINT!

Decent ingredients.

They look like Cheezit’s but I personally think they taste awful ~ like cardboard.  I very rarely have food I can’t eat , but, these, I had two and gave them to The Husband.  He said they were ok, but, tasted diety ~ 3.5 stars.

After the All*Star Baseball games that both our nephews have been playing all week, we met some friends at Monsoon Burgers!

I got my garden burger plus MUSHROOMS + AVOCADO+ PEPPERJACK CHEESE ~ If you ever get a veggie burger, have it like this – it was THAT good!

Today I had another new favorite Combo ~ An Amy’s Lu’s Caramelized Red Pepper Chicken Burger ~ Caprese style! (6 points of goodness)

* Earth Grains Thin Bun

* Amy Lu Chicken Burger

* Fresh Mozzarella

* Big, juicy tomato slices

* Fresh basil leaves

* FUN HIGHLIGHTS *

There has been a lot of Baseball watching as both nephews made it to the All Stars. 

AND, The Husband’s littlest nephew started playing in the 6 & under league.

I LOVE that they have little girls with pink socks on their team

I did pick up a shiny new red gadget to play with too

The Husband is tired of hearing our old fashioned clunker ice cream maker so I finally broke down and got the one Cuisinart I’ve always wanted ~ no ice or salt required, ready in 20 minutes for only $39 at Costco!!!!

I LOVE that the freezing container is red too

Today’s Wordless Wednesday picture was taken last year when we were driving home.  I had actually forgot about these pictures until a few weeks ago when Meghan at  Travel, Eat, Love posted about someone running off with her husband’s bike.

Alright, I think that brings back up to date!  Get ready tomorrow for that giveaway I promised and hopefully a NORMAL day!

Night all!

Today was the official Weight Watchers Walk It 5K Challenge.  I LOVE this challenge ~ it has been all about getting everyone moving starting out with just 10 minutes of walking a day.   Weight Watchers provided everyone with a 6 week training schedule, you earned little stars along the way for the Walk It Challenge with the ultimate goal to be able to walk a 5K. 

The 5K could be anywhere ~ you could go alone, join an official race or go as part of a group.  My location put together a group walk that turned out to be a 5K+ (we did 4 miles). 

It was so fun to walk along encouraging and chatting with different people who share the same goals as I do, but, even better, The Husband went with me   In all the races I’ve done over the past 10 years, he has only walked one with me.  He did AWESOME

Isn’t it funny how when you decide to NOT take your camera, you see a ton of things that make you want to take pictures….on our walk we saw:

* Beautiful rolling hills

* FANTASTIC peeps walking along a main street in our own walk-it challenge!

* Someone brought their baby in the little red wagon but their dog was pulling him like a horse a carriage – so funny!

* A BIG family of cows!

* All of us touching a red sign at the turn around point to symbolize the half way mark!

Good times and I’d totally do it all over again  

Before our walk, I snacked on 2 slices TJ’s FF Multi-Grain Bread topped with Nut Barn Crunchy Almond Butter and Pomengranate Jelly (4.5 pts).

So, I told The Husband he earned his Starbuck’s today and we refueled post race with Venti Iced FF, Decaf Lattes with a caramel drizzle (3 pts).

I am actually surprised at how well all this held me over.  We did the walk a 8am and didn’t sit down for lunch until 2 pm. 

1/2 cup Harvest Grain Salad (4 pts)

1 1/3 cups Melon (1 pt)

Cool, crisp Asian Slaw (Organic Broccoli Slaw + TJ’s LF Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette) (1 pt)

Yesterday I whipped up a batch of Homemade Spicy Bean Dip.  Have you all ever tried making your own? It’s SO EASY ~ simply put it all in your food processor and give it a whirl.

12 TJ;’s Organic Tortilla chips x’s 2 because I went back for more plus 1/2 c dip (7 pts)  That’s why I don’t have really good chips around LOL.

Dinner wasn’t fancy at all but it completely hit the spot.  Can you ever go wrong with pasta plus TJ’s Arrabiata Sauce and freshly shaved parmesan?!

1 c Barilla Plus Angel Hair Pasta (4 pts)

1/3 c Pasta Sauce (1 pt)

1 Tbsp shaved parmesan (1 pt)

Dessert ~ 1 cup cherries (1 pt)

I have to confess ~ I got all caught up on The Bachelorette today!  I was going to boycott the season because I didn’t really like her drama….but, then, I heard all the places they are travelling and I totally want to see the countries they visit.  I guess like some of the guys, I am not in it for Ali LOL   Oh and all the scandals sound fun too! I can’t wait for the show tomorrow now!

Night all!

It was soooo early getting up this morning at 5:30 am with the time change.  But, I hopped right out of bed, ready to get my RACE ON!  The Shamrock Half Marathon is only my 2nd half marathon ever after taking a 3 year break from the first   I run races against myself and nobody else ~ sorta like my sis says ~ if you are not going to be in 1st place, why stress over how fast you are going. 

I think I have higher expectations of myself since I know I was in AWESOME condition during my last half marathon.  However, what your brain thinks you want is sometimes different than what your body will give you.  My run today was a great starting point ~ my time was definitely slower than my first race, but, you know what ~ that doesn’t matter.  What matters is that I had the courage to get up, go and push through to reach the finish line. It is my starting point on my new running journey and I can only improve on that from here. 

This is just the beginning as I am pretty sure I have my sister hooked on running and I LOVE that it’s something we can do together.

I packed up breakfast and hit the road.  2 Slices Nature’s Path Whole Wheat with 1 Tbsp Cashew Butter, plus water and coffee.  I saved the banana for 30 minutes pre-race since breakfast was 3 hours before the race started.  I think I learned that I NEED to add a little protein for longer runs because I was hungry during the second mile.

I grabbed my # FAN, The Husband and we hopped in the car.  We did make a pit stop at Starbuck’s for him to “fuel” for the day (he is such a trooper because he is not a morning person at all)

We arrived at Raley Field where the River Cats Baseball team plays before the crack of dawn   They told everyone to arrive 2 hours early because they said parking would be crazy.  Have I ever told you all that I have a really bad sense of direction?  I managed to get us lost, but, it worked out really good because there wasn’t ANY traffic at all.

The only problem with getting there so early was that there was pretty much NOTHING to do but stand around and freeze in the 43 degree cold weather.   So, we did what every family does while waiting ~ Take PICTURES!  My little niece made up the signs for our “FANS” to wear to show their support ~ so cute! 

Our FANS = The Husband, My Sister’s Hubby, My Mom and my super cute niece.

Pre-Race ~ all smiles and trying to smile for 3 cameras while FREEZING   (P.S. YES, I do wear all my water bottles because I don’t want them to run out of water by the time I make it to the water stands)

Tagged and ready to hit the road! Yes, I am a total dork and had us take pictures of our feet

The baseball field sits right along the Sacramento River ~ I think The Husband wondered off and took this picture while waiting for the race to start.

Then, there was a random Panda Bear (The Baseball Team’s mascot is a CAT so I am not sure what the Panda represents?!)

Finally, we made our way down to the start line.  The race had 4,600 Half Marathon Runners and 800 Relay Runners.  It is the BIGGEST race in Sacramento ~ check out ALL the people.

Finally at 8:20 am we were off!!!  The first 3 miles flew by pretty fast I think because we were just trying to get warm.  We made pretty good time in the beginning ~ pacing faster than our usual practice runs.  Around mile 5, we ran into The “Husband’s who decided to run 1/4 of a mile with us, offering up water LOL and snapping random pictures as we all ran ~ SO FUNNY!

I have to say this course was seriously the windiest course I have ever seen.  We looped back and forth ~ I so thought I was going to get lost, but, luckily there were enough people to follow!  We crossed this bridge 4 times!

Around mile 6, we “FLEW BY” our fans again.

I think one of the fun parts of this race was seeing all the people dressed up ~ some people really like Shamrocks & St. Patties day   We followed this guy below through the entire race to make sure we knew we were going the right way.

I did really well up until around mile 8.  We switched from 5:1 intervals to 4:1 intervals and rocked it all the way to the finish line.  My Sis is awesome ~ she stayed with me the whole way even though she could’ve easily gone ahead and finished way before me.  She really wanted to finish together and I am glad we did. 

We went all out the last 1/4 of a mile to the finish line ~ they have you finish on the actual baseball field which is pretty cool. I will say though, going up stadium steps AFTER you run a half marathon kinda sucked LOL….

I am SO PROUD of US!!! This race was totally a sign of HUGE accomplishments for both of us.  I realized that although I am not where I want to be and did not go as fast as I thought I would, if I put my mind to do something, I CAN DO ANYTHING!!!  I set a goal, pushed through it and never stopped until I crossed the finish line like a TRUE PENGUIN!

After the run, we picked up our snack bags and I grabbed the Fig Newtons

We refueled at possibly my FAVORITE new place called CREPE ESCAPE. Check out all the COOL things on their menu.

NUTELLA DESSERT CREPES!!!

The funny thing about longs runs is I am not really hungry the day that I burn all those calories.  I had a hard time deciding what to eat because all I really wanted to do was sit down LOL. 

I ordered a Grilled Chicken Sandwich that was topped with pesto, roasted red peppers, tomato and mozzarella on Focaccia Bread.  I had half.

Plus half of these roasted rosemary potatoes.

When I got home, I spent some quality time with my Foam Roller rolling out my legs, hips and back.  Wow, I went from hobbling to walking normal ~ LOVE/HATE that foam roller.  I then took a nice and cold ICE BATH to help reduce my soreness the next day.

My appetite started to come around and I shared a bowl of melon with The Husband.

Plus a little cheese while we lounged around and relaxed in the sunshine.

The “Husband” cooked dinner tonight and ordered Pizza from Cenario’s (his favorite place.  I had two slices of veggie pizza that was AWESOME!

The crust is STUFFED with cheesy goodness!

Plus a simple salad with Balsamic on the side.

Dessert was possibly one of the BEST Pizza creations ever ~ Cinnamon Sticks!  I had 2 and might have gone back for one more.

As you may have already heard, Bertolli is getting ready to launch a new series of webisodes titled “Into the Heart of Italy: Six Adventures, Three Celebrities, One Mission… To Unlock the Secrets of Italian Passion for Food and Life.” This one-of-a-kind online series will feature celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito and actors Marisa Tomei and Dan Cortese as they explore the food and culture of Italy.  You can find a preview HERE followed by the FIRST full episode!   I am off to participate in their Taste & Tweet Up to kick off the new series!

Night all!

Wow, you all seriously know how to make a girl hungry ~ ALL of your breakfast ideas you offered up sound AMAZING!  I am definitely going to have to try them out over the next month.  Thanks a bunch for taking the time to share your ideas…my tastebuds and I completely thank you

Several of you have asked about my running story and what race I am training for.  I thought it would be easiest to tell you all in this post, considering, this post is all about running and reaching new distances   K, ready….I might get a little wordy but I’ll do my best to keep it short.

I will be the first to admit I’ve never really been a runner in my life.  I have always been athletically talented and inclined more so than the artsy type.  Yup, I was a total Tom Boy growing up until  my Mom and Sis finally convinced me to be girlie in the 8th grade.  I am pretty good at most sports I play including going to college on a Softball Scholarship. I played volley ball and sometimes basketball (until I became like the shortest person) LOL.  So, any running I did throughout my life involved training for the sport I was in.  As you can imagine, most of that was not a distance thing ~ maybe a mile or two.

I have always been good at walking ~ in fact, it is one of my FAVORITE ways to spend my lunch hour.  When I first started walking I figured it was definitely better than well working and it made my day go faster.  When I started walking I would only go 1-2 miles thinking, eh, that’s good.  Then, one day, one of my co-workers asked to do the Walk for Wishes 5K with her.  I don’t know why, but, wow, walking 3.1 miles seemed like it was sooooo far LOL.  I really got into it, getting sponsors to donate to the charity and it really amazed me at how many people believed in me…that I could do a 5K.  After that I did a few more 5K’s ~ all walking of course and mainly for causes like the March of Dimes.

A few months later, one of my great friends and inspirations (who I call Super Girl because she does Marathons, Triathlons, biathlons with her husband and is way hard core!) challenged me to run a 10K with her.  She told me to pick ANY race and she would do it with me.  I’ll be honest I kinda thought she was crazy ~ me, run, 6 miles, when, I thought walking 3+ miles was A LOT.  My first run, I ran about 1/4 of a mile before I was huffing and puffing and stopping.  But, she believed in me and it made me believe in myself.  She trained with me every step of the way giving me tips and tidbits….like, when I built up to running 3 miles, I was half way there so if I “had” to I could always walk the rest.  Well, that wasn’t going to happen because I was determined.  My first and only 10K I ever did was the Nutrition Fuels Fitness 10K  ~ I picked it because I LIKED the cause…when you have a cause you truly believe it, it really helps to motivate you to push through when you pretty much think NOPE, not gonna happen.

After my 10K, Super Girl was like well you are HALF way there, you might as well do a HALF MARATHON….afterall, you already know you can run half, so you can always walk the rest.  Me, 13.1 miles ~ are you serious?!  But, I knew that once I signed up for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon there was no turning back.  I picked this particular race because I figured I might as well have great scenery (6 wineries and a wild life refuge) along the way.  I spent the money and completely dedicated myself to training for the next 6 months.  I ended up injuring my knee on my last long run of 14, but, I was determined to do the race.  I successfully completed it and it was AMAZING how accomplished I felt ~ I couldn’t wait to run again.  Seriously ~ that is the REASON WHY I RUN ~ is for how you feel AFTER (plus the results ~ fantastic muscle tone and dropping 2 sizes)…not so much during or convincing myself before.

I had to take 3 months off for my knee to recover which was really hard to do….however, 1 TRI-ATHLON and 3 years later, I am doing it all over again!  I was inspired by my friends and my sister to get back into it again.  It is definitely harder this go round, but, I LOVE experiencing new distances with my sister since this is her first race.  Not to mention she is older than me and can kick my bootie….but, that is just total motivation!

We will be completing the Shamrock Half Marathon on March 14, 2010 ~ Just remember, I am not going to be the one who wins the race, but, I will be waddling on like John Bingham, the PENGUIN crossing the finish line.  I honestly believe with running it doesn’t matter how fast you go,but, if you enjoyed yourself along the way!

OK ~ ALL DONE !  ANY QUESTIONS???

Saturday’s Eats….

I get nervous before every one even when I run by myself ~ funny, huh?  I made up this fantastic Banana Sandwich, but, only ate half as I drove to meet my sis for our run.

2 slices of TJ’s FF Multi-Grain Bread

2 Tbsp Freshly Ground Almond Butter

1 Tbsp Apricot Preserves

1/2 banana

Too bad I had to toss the other half

Did I ever tell you all that the reason we do ratios is it is highly recommended by Jeff Galloway as it takes less wear/tear on your body and helps to prevent injuries  I know I run faster with our 1 minute breaks than I do if I run straight through.  They say you only lose 17 seconds walking versus running.

My Sis and I totally rocked 8 MILES along this trail doing 5:1 jog/walk ratios…I was so proud of her as this is the farthest distance she has run and she was passing me up   We averaged an easy 10-12 min/mile pace with our intervals.

After our run, we went to Jack’s Urban Eats to refuel!  Instead of my usual build your salad, I opted for their Chinese Chicken Salad.  It was eh, ok, but, definitely not as good as making your own. (8 point estimate for my salad)

“ Grilled chicken, Asian lettuce mix, crisp rice noodles, Mandarin oranges, red bell pepper, carrots, jicama, and cucumber, with plum vinaigrette.”

My sis ordered a side of their URBAN FRIES ~ OMG ~ they might be the best fries I’ve ever had…they are served with spicy chili oil, crushed red pepper flakes & blue cheese (that tastes like ranch, not stinky cheese).  I had a small handful for about 3 pts.

I ordered a side of their AWESOME cheesy Mac & Cheese for us to share. (3 pt estimate)

I spent the afternoon doing a little shopping with my sis.  I was surprised that I didn’t want any of the samples offered up at Costco on a day when I probably earned them more than any other time.  I honestly think it’s because I knew I could have them if I wanted them, so I didn’t want them….make sense? LOL

As I was cooking dinner and talking to The Husband about our run, I decided to celebrate with a little vino from Frazier Winery.  Their Merlot isn’t bad, but, it’s really dry.  I actually needed it for my recipe, but, drinking some is always fun too!

I served it up in my Napa to Sonoma Commemorative Wine Glass.

I picked up some new foccaccia breads at Sam’s Club while shopping from The Old Mediterranean Baking Company.

The flavor we picked for tonight is Veggie ~ Sun Dried Tomatoes with Mushrooms!

1/2 of a pizza is2 pts ~ not too bad.

It past the test with a great ingredient list too ~ I LOVE that these breads are made without preservatives or funky ingredients.  Plus they FREEZE well too

I toasted up one pizza bread in the oven at 350 for 2 minutes and cut it into slices to serve with dinner.  Delish!

The main course tonight was Italian Sausage & Pepper Pasta ~ 5 pts a serving.  I’ll post the steps with the recipe this week.  It was a Weight Watcher recipe that I modified to add some kick.  I LOVED this dish and think it will be even better the next day….I am thinking of making it into a cheesy casserole for part 2

The Husband picked out and made our veggies tonight ~ Green Giant Corn Nibblers in a Butter Sauce ~ 2/3 c is 2 pts – not too bad and super tasty.

Dessert was a mini Jelly Belly Sample pack for 1 pt since it’s only like 1/2 a pack

Ok ~ I am caught up through yesterday with the exception of answering your comments and emails.  I will do that soon too. 

I am off to read/relax a bit before I cook dinner.  See you all tonight or in the morning with a recap of today

Happy Hump Day all!  Today was not a fun work day, however, I think I had a major brain break though tonight at my Weight Watcher meeting.  NOTE: If you want to just read about my day and food, then, scroll down straight to the red stars *********. 

I lost .8 lbs this week bringing me down a total of 5.6 lbs since I started back on my mission to lose the weight I gained last year.  The receptionist really wanted to me to celebrate my success and give me a 5 lb gold star.  Normally I LOVE getting stars and all that but I told her I felt guilty and lame since it was for weight I had already originally lost.  She was like, you know, none of that matters.  You motivate everyone when you share, no matter how big or small your losses are….you are the only one who knows “the bad” in your head, nobody else knows you are losing weight you’ve gained….they just know you lost.  How can you argue with that?  I gave in and celebrated away my shame.

So, why is this significant to me?  Well I think for me this symbolizes a turning point where I can let go of the past….I can let go of the fact that I have been carrying guilt and feeling a bit like a fraud for not 100% maintaining my loss.    Sure, I kept it off for 4 years, but, last year was the first year I let anything come back.  I am not perfect and every day is a challenge.  But, the most important thing is that I can use my past success to help me do it all over again.  It’s like a huge burden has been lifted.  I feel like, now, here I am with a fresh start on a new journey with a new goal….I can be proud I’ve lost 5.6 lbs and I am moving towards my goal.  I can’t change the past but I can change every step I take in the future ~ embrace it, own it, be it!  I can prove to you all that I can and will do it again ~ there is nothing to feel ashamed of….I am me, 100% perfectly imperfect and I am making the most of what I’ve got with every challenge life throws my way…isn’t that all we can really do?

My meeting tonight was awesome ~ I felt so empowered leaving and motivated.  I’d be completely lost without my support system ~ I LOVE YOU ALL ~  The Husband as my biggest fan, my family, my leader & meeting, it’s members, and all of you!  Thanks for listening to my rant….I really wanted to share it with you all since I don’t always share all the thoughts and voices that are in my head

Here are a few of my FAVORITE quotes that they had at our meeting today that really rang true with me.

What you think about you, you bring about! (this may be my new motto)

Perfectionists become life’s biggest procrastinators because they can never get everything lined up perfectly. (OMG ~ total realization – so true!)

“This time, I will not be defeated by every little hiccup.  This time I am an active participant in my change.  My haiku expresses these feelings : Each day begins with new strength, resolve and spirit.  I LOVE each NEW DAY!”  (This was a member quote)

Have you all ever had a turning point like this and who is your biggest supporter?

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As a side note, I was super bummed that they moved the Biggest Loser to 9-11 pm.  I passed out while they were weighing in despite my best efforts to stay away by sitting up, doing jumping jacks…then sitting down and falling asleep.  I was OK with the brown guy going home, but, I am so rooting for the RED to go.  I think my favorite new person is the PURPLE girl – I LOVED her encouraging everyone to run for 5 minutes without stopping.

This morning something crazy happened ~ nothing sounded good to eat at all?! I am a TOTAL breakfast person so that was weird.

I ended up ordering a grande DIRTY LATTE  with a small banana ~ LOVE starting my day off like that   A dirty latte is FF Decaf Latte with 2 pumps of mocha for only 3 pts….you get all the chocolate flavor but save a point.

I actually started to get hungry about an hour after breakfast ~ go figure.  So I snacked on some cashews and a lf colby cheese for 3 pts. Nuts and cheese always do the trick at taking my hunger pains away.

I had all good intentions of eating my Layered Up Turkey Meatloaf sandwich today for lunch, but, I really NEEDED to get out and get away from work today.  After pacing and venting to The Husband about my day, he suggested we meet for lunch at his FAVORITE Steak Sandwich Place MS Tasty Burger. 

I got my usual by asking them to cooked up any veggies they had in the back ~ AMAZING!!!!! Cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, pepper, soy sauce = LOVE!

Plus grilled teriyaki chicken bites that I didn’t share today (snort, snort!)

Total 8 point COMFORT FOOD lunch that surprisingly made me feel better without feeling worse since it was healthy.  AWESOME!

Since I was helping one of my FAVORITE new Weight Watcher friends plan out her action plan for a Mexican food place today, I had to celebrate tonight with some of my FAVORITE TACOS!!!!

2 Crunchy Chicken Tacos from Vasquez Deli x’s two for 8 points.  I order them HOT with extra salsa poured over the chicken. (So good Mom ~ I would’ve shared if you were here )

SPRINGPAD FUN ~ Check out these Ultimate Super Bowl Recipes and see who is featured under the MAIN COURSES!!!   I am SpringIt Famous ~ SO FUN!!! LOL….I am so drooling over everyone’s recipes though…..I NEED to host a party now so I can try them all or maybe have a party where everyone has to make one dish and bring it to try ~ now, that’s what I am talkin’ about!

I will be posting the Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken Recipe for you all tomorrow.  However, I think I am MOST excited about what is going into the Crockpot tomorrow morning….ready for this????

BBQ Brisket on toasty buns that are topped with healthy slaw with a side of butternut squash fries….You know I am totally dreaming about this tonight and all day tomorrow

NIGHT ALL….Just two days til the weekend and it cannot come fast enough!

Woohoo ~ I am posting twice in one day.  Ok, well, that’s not really what the woohoo is for….THE BIGGEST LOSER is on ~ Woohooo!  Yeah for not having to wait until spring for the next season.  Ok, so this is going to be snappy because I want to sit down with my NEW BOOK (more on that in a sec) and indulge in the show

FIRST TIHNGS FIRST

Yesterday I signed up to run my SECOND ever HALF MARATHON! ~ The Shamrock Half Marathon on March 14, 2010!! I was first encourage by one of my AMAZIMG ex bosses who is for the first time ever running a half and now my AWESOME sister has decided to join in too!  It is her first race and I am so pumped to do this together with them both….yeah!  I am a bit nervous because I ran my first half marathon (Napa to Sonoma!) 3 years ago and did a Tri-Athlon (Tri-Girl-Tri) last year.  But, THIS YEAR, I’ve done nothing, in fact, I took December off from exercising ~ oops!   Anyway, I am PUMPED and ready to do it! 

Here is my schedule EASING into things.  I combined Hal Hidgon’s training plan with Jeff Galloway’s run-walk-run philosophy.  I have a short time frame to work with so I modified it a bit I may throw in some speed work and/or hills, but, my main goal is really just to finish and maybe beat my prior year time  

Feel free to share any thoughts, advice or what not.  I’d LOVE to hear what you all have to say   I NEED all the help I can get for sure. Ohhhh and if you are training for any event now, I am open to helping to motivate each other.  Comment away, email, twitter, facebook, g-chat ~ all of the above anytime

NOW SPEED POST!!!

Ok, I guess I am not doing so good on the FAST POST part…so here it goes….onto my eats and workouts for the past few days

EATS:

Warm Oat-y-ness!

1/2 c old fashioned oats

1 c water

1 mini organic Fuji Apple

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

dashes of cinnamon and vanilla extract

TWO BEST TOPPINGS ever ~ 1 Tbsp Crunchy Almond Butter and 1 Tbsp Organic Apricot Preserves

The Husband surprised me by showing up and taking me to lunch ~ LOVE him!  We went to Mamarella’s and I ordered their FANTASTIC Beet Salad with Grilled Chicken ~ delish!

After work I came home and hopped on the treadmill ~  3 miles run/walk/run doing 5:1 intervals.  Yup, I pretty much felt like I was going to keel over….I MUST remember to not take time off like that again

Dinner was FAST and easy involving some of my FAVORITE things since I wanted to watch The Bachelor

ANNIE’S PEACE PASTA!!!

I am a sucker for FUN shaped pastas.  I LOVE this flavor as a change from the white and orange sauce, but, I still like the traditional versions best

New frozen veggie ~ This one is my FAVORITE I think it’s the roasted almond slivers:)

CLEAN INGREDIENTS!

GREAT STATS!!

I ate an entire box of green beans  

Plus a serving of Annie’s Peace Pasta

with a Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Chicken Burger toped with tomato, cucumber chips, ketchup and mustard.

Delicious, fast and EASY!

TUESDAY!!!

I woke up starving and pretty sure my stomach was going to eat itself.   I toasted up 2 Kashi Strawberry Flax Protein Waffles and topped one with Artisana Organic RAW Cashew Butter and the other with Crunchy Almond.

With some “banana chips”

I was STILL starving but held out a few hours for snack.  My mom had these Flat Bread Wheat Thins out over Christmas and I actually LOVED them.

Decent stats ~ 1 point for 2 BIG crackers.

I am super proud of Nabisco for using some REAL ingredients and getting rid of the HFCS  and using brown rice syrup instead.

Topped with 1 Laughing Cow Lite Cheese Wedge and a mini organic fuji apple.

I didn’t realize until now that I am the total product reviewer on this post   I saw these Chicken-Less Stuffed Cutlets at Trader Joe’s the other day and had to try them.  I was sold on them when I saw that they were stuffed with corn and black beans – YUM!

I have to admit they looked a little funky when they come out of the package.

But, I quickly remedied that by topping it with a slice of light provolone and my mom’s homemade chipotle salsa.  I LOVED the combination ~ smokey, BBQ, cheesy good!

And since I didn’t seem to get enough green beans last night, I had some more

I was too full for my cuties, but, they still wanted their picture taken.  I am missing the cute little stickers on this batch….don’t they know that is WHY people buy them?!

I am trying to fit in BOTH bananas and MILK since the potassium helps to get the lactic acid out of your muscles and relieve soreness.

We had a LONG afternoon meeting today so I knew that would require a Starbuck’s.  I had a tall FF Chai Tea Latte for my afternoon snack. 

TODAYS WORKOUT 2 easy miles run/walk/run with an easy 2:1 ratio since my legs are uber sore.  My run was actually awesome and I felt great after lots of stretching.

Dinner tonight was a Pizza Compromise.  The Husband wanted both Turkey Pepperoni and my FULLED LOADED VEGETABLE PIZZA.  The top layer was turkey pepperoni and the bottom layer was all veggies

I had two slices (FYI – the turkey pepperoni only adds ONE Weight Watcher Point!)

Plus a side salad with Annie’s Cowgirl Ranch….delish!

Everyday should include a little chocolate especially when it is for a good cause, right?   I received this bar as part of my Christmas present from one of my FAVORITE people ever

I had 3 squares and savored each one slowly.  I LOVE it but you don’t really taste the blueberries

NEW BOOK~ I LOVE Tosca Reno and have ALL of her books (and her cookbooks too!).  She is the person who got me started eating clean with her very first book a few years back.  She has updated her original book so I had to check it out!  I will post a review for you all when I finish….Yeah!!!

P.S. AMAZON has it on sale super cheap ~ click HERE to check it out!

SPEED POST, RIGHT? Haha ~ oh well….Off to read, relax and enjoy The SHOW!!!

See you all tomorrow for a NEW YEARS GIVEAWAY!

NITE!