Workouts rarely disappoint.

 

I feel such a sense of accomplishment and happiness after work outs. Even after a not so good one, I’m still happy that I did something. I got a good run in after work yesterday, it was on the treadmill at a slight incline.

This morning, for my cross training day, I did The Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout on Exercise TV On Demand. Right now, I’m a sweaty mess typing this! It worked me harder than I imagined it would, that’s for sure. My arms are already a little sore too. Other than the fact I find Jillian insanely annoying, I liked this workout.

I would love to share the General Tso Quorn recipe with you, but it didn’t turn out very good. I mean it’s tasty, but it looks terrible and I’m not going to lie, I used a seasoning packet. You have some winners and some losers I guess.

Time to get ready for work! I’m hoping that maybe I’ll go to the driving range with a friend after work. If not, I may just go by myself! :)

Do you have a favorite work out DVD or TV Program?

The Total Body Sculpt with Gilad (The Israeli Stud-Muffin as they call him) always looks like I good work out, but I giggle every time I see the guy! Happy Tuesday!!! :)

Peppers stuffed with Quinoa, Feta and Corn

 

Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Feta and Corn (2 servings, 6 pts per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa   
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped  
1 clove garlic clove, minced  
1 tsp ground cumin  
1 cup frozen corn kernels  
2 cups spinach, chopped  
1/4 cup feta cheese  
2 bell peppers  

Instructions

1. Bring 1 cup of water to boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt, then the quinoa. Give it a stir, cover and simmer over low heat until the grains are tender. About 15 minutes.

2. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and sauté onion. Once tender add garlic, cumin, corn and spinach along with 2 tbsp water. When spinach is wilted, add quinoa and feta. Toss everything together, remove from heat, season with Salt & Pepper as desired.

3. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise without removing the tops or stems, remove seeds. Simmer them in salted water until tender to the touch but not overly soft. About 4-5 minutes. Remove from water. Fill them with quinoa and set them in a baking dish.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the tops of the stuffed peppers with non-stick spray and bake until peppers are heated through, about 20-30 minutes. Switch heat to broil and brown the tops. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Recipe was adapted from the book Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen

This was a pretty good meal. Next time I will add more spices, however I think it’s a GREAT base to play with. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly from the book because I didn’t have everything on hand. I’ve never boiled my peppers before stuffing and baking them, it makes them so soft and tender. They just fell apart when cut. I definitely will be doing that going forward with stuffed peppers. I topped mine with hot sauce, cause that’s how I roll. It felt good to cook a healthy meal at home.

I also premade my polenta for tonight’s dinner but I will give you all those deets tomorrow.

Healthy snacks I’ve been snacking on so far this week:

Frozen Grapes (Why oh why did I wait so long to try this? So easy and so AMAZING on these hot, hot nights!)

Cherries (I swallowed a cherry pit and while the adult Tonyne understood that a cherry tree could never grow out of your stomach, the kid Tonyne who still resides in my head was FREAKING out about it)

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas (At just 2 points a piece, who needs ice cream!)

Banana Soft Serve (It’s hit the blog world like a storm and I’m so glad it did!)

After two days of healthy eating and being mindful of my actions, I feel so much better already. Now to just keep the momentum going! I even managed to make it out for a run this morning!

 

What’s your favorite healthy snack? Do you prefer sweet or savory?

I just ran…

 

No meat since a little on a sandwich for lunch on Monday, still doing fine! I would love to make meat a specialty item in my diet. Something I only have once or twice a week instead of so regularly. I think I might be able to get there! However…

I was leery of last night’s vegetarian meal. I had selected two new recipes to try, Caitlin’s Perfect Baked Tofu and Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese from The Biggest Diabetic Loser’s site. Luckily, it turned out pretty well!

I was most concerned about the Tofu. I didn’t think it was going to have any flavor based on the short time in was in the marinade, but it turned out great! Even if a bit over done. The only change I made was to use vegetable broth instead of olive oil to cut back on the calories.

The SS Mac and Cheese was YUMMY! I did use reduced or no fat milk, cheese and butter, I didn’t use jalapenos (I used crushed red pepper flakes) and I added garlic and onion powder to the milk. I also added a little more squash, I probably used close to 10 oz of cooked squash.

The squash, I may make again with some adjustments, but the tofu will for sure be a keeper! I may make it again for lunch today actually. I think the fact I over-cooked it a little made it even better. It was crunchy! :)

The big news of the day is…I RAN! I did a short run for my first one, I don’t want to reinjure and right now I’m icing my knee, just to be on the safe side. I’m not diving back head first into running, but I was elated to be doing it again! I ran this on the treadmill.

Well, it’s Thursday…my very wonderful day off. I’m going to go enjoy it! The husband is off today too!

What do you like to do on your day off?

Conference Take-aways

 

Yesterday I blogged about my Conference Downfalls, today I want to blog about my conference take-aways. I attended a 2 day conference for the Vacation Rental Management Association. I promise, I’m not going to share with you how to run a Maintenance Department for a Vacation Rental Company although that is what I do and I did learn a lot of helpful stuff.

One of the sessions I attended was for Customer Service. It was focused on how your attitude impacts your customer service. We spoke about who our customers are, in our business we have 3 main ones…we have the vacation home renter, the vacation home owner and the owner of the company. These 3 customers can not always be made happy at the same time although that is what we strive for.

I swear, I have a point that has to do with health and wellness coming up really soon.

During a lull in the presentation my mind started to wander to the blog and to what I was missing on Twitter and Facebook and in a dream like state (you know you’ve been there in conferences before) my mind started to blend what the presenter was saying with my thoughts and I pondered the following:

“Who is MY customer? Not my company’s, but mine.”

The answer, is me. I am my own customer and owner. If I have a complaint, it’s my fault, it’s up to me to fix it. No one is going to give me a refund. No one is going to credit me back the pounds that I gain when I have a bad week. And some times, I will have to make a choice that will not make me happy.

Like when I turned down the bread and butter at lunch, but then fell victim to the dessert cart. Both choices made me unhappy and happy in totally different ways. Ok, I am derailing…sorry.

So I began to apply parts of the presentation to the customer service of myself. 2 key points stuck out:

“Think about ‘can do’s’ instead of ‘can’t do’s'.” This will effect your interactions with others (or yourself) in these key ways:

1. Resiliency  - When faced with obstacles such as changes in your schedule or unsupportive people, you are more able to stick with your plan.

2. Enthusiasm and Energy – A positive attitude generates enthusiasm about what you do.

If we focus on the things we can control, on the exercises we can do, the changes we can make and stick with, instead of the things we can’t the rest will slowly fall into place.

The 2nd point that stuck out to me was the following quote:

“Today’s exceptions become tomorrows expectations.”

That quote will help me to remember that while it is alright to treat myself occasionally, today’s exception (or treat) can not become tomorrow’s expectation. Think about how easily that happens. You have a stressful day, you reach for a piece of candy, then that becomes your mind’s expectation during every stressful situation.

After this presentation and taking away as much as I did, personally and professionally, I did the only respectable thing. I bowed out of the conference early, before the last session and went for a run.

Although I was prepared for the conference, I had healthy snacks in my purse, I still made poor choices. However, I won’t let today’s exceptions become tomorrow’s expectations.

The conference is now over and I have today off from work. In honor of Earth Day, I think I am going to spend the day outside!

What's up next?

If you missed my Lighthouse 10k Recap on Saturday, please go check it out. It was an awesome race and I had a good time! However, I am already ready for another race. Is that normal? :)

Due to my work schedule it's going to be very hard to participate in races until the fall. I have to work Saturdays. It's not an option from this point forward. However, I found two races within an hour's drive on Sundays in May. One is The Bellamy Mansion Race for History and the other is a Mother's Day 5k & Fun Run. Both are in Wilmington, NC and are on 5/2 and 5/9 respectively. I really want to do the Bellamy Mansion run. It sounds awesome. It's through historic Wilmington and you get to tour the grounds of the Mansion after the run. However, the 2nd is the day after a party my friend Kelly is having, so I'll have to weigh my options. I am going to do one of them though, that much I know.



Anyone local or nearby to Wilmington interested in coming out and doing one with me? You don't have to run, you can walk! Races are so much fun and these are only $20'ish and both are going to good causes. Let me know if you're interested!

In other race news, my good friend Heather (who I met through the wonderful blogging world) has finally gotten me to commit to running my first Half Marathon. I am excited and terrified. We chose the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and it's the inaugural year.
I like to train using Jeff Galloway's training programs, so this would mean my training will begin on June 27th. I just keep thinking to myself "You ran 7 miles once...just do that almost twice." Yeah. I'm having confidence issues, but I'll get past them and I have plenty of time to train!

When I start to think that maybe I can't do something...this is what I'm going to think of from here on out. At the end of the Lighthouse 10k, we were getting ready to leave and my Mom says "Oh no, someone fell!" We look over and about 100 yards from the finish line an elderly gentleman had taken a tumble where the road turned from pavement to gravel. He kept trying to get up and they kept making him lay down. You could tell he just wanted to finish the race. I heard through the crowd that he was having chest pains. The ambulance and medics finally showed up and the man tried to get up again. The medic, with a reluctant look on his face, helped him up. They walked over the finish line together, the man answering the medics questions for his paperwork before his ride to the hospital. I cheered and cheered for him as he finished. It brought tears to my eyes. You can always finish. Just don't take no for an answer.

My meal plan for the week!

Meatless Monday - Black Bean & Cheese Quesadillas
Tuesday - Chicken Salad Sandwich
Wednesday - Herb Parmesan Crusted Talapia
Thursday - Turkey Meatloaf with a Honey Mustard Glaze
Friday - Whatever's Left in the Fridge thrown together to make something yummy.

This will be a difficult week. My eating wasn't great over the weekend. I indulged in my cravings (in moderation, but I still indulged) with my Mom and I have to attend a conference for work on Tuesday and Wednesday. I an very type A and tend to panic a bit when my schedule isn't just so. Yes, I know this about myself and yes this is something I'm trying to work on.

I think I've yammered on enough for today. I hope you all had fantastic weekends! :)

Lighthouse 10k Race Recap

 

The morning started out with my usual pre-run breakfast. Coffee and toast with jam. I packed a Luna Lemon Zest bar to eat about an hour before the race on the car ride to Oak Island.

When we got there, the wind was KICKIN’! It was kinda cool out too. I guess that made me channel my inner Brett Michaels. TIP: Don’t put your bib on in the car, it will be crooked.

It was a point to point race, so we loaded up on trolleys to go to the finish line. I rode over with my friend Kelly who did the 5k.

The first mile was over the Oak Island Bridge. It was a slight incline, but nothing like the Ocean Isle Beach Bridge which I crossed twice during the OIB Run for Food in January. The view from the bridge is amazing. I realized I was doing pretty well coming down the other side of the bridge and was holding steady within a 9 minute mile until about mile 2.

We wound and wound through some neighborhoods and by the first water stop I was starting to feel a little tired. The water and a good song on the Ipod got me moving again. It was right about this point where we round a curve and saw ocean. It was a beautiful day and the wind had either slowed to a cool breeze or just felt great at that point. I continued to look to my right and at the ocean whenever I felt the urge to slow down or stop. It kept me distracted for awhile.

Around mile 3, we were at the 5k’ers starting point. This is where I really started to struggle. I walked for a bit, but never for long and just kept trucking.

Right at 4.5 miles, I felt it. Someone had set my legs in concrete and then set them in a Jell-O mold. That’s the only way to explain it. I felt like I weighed 1,000lbs. I ran as much as I could, but walked fast when I needed to. The sun was directly in my face and I was covered in sand.

When I saw the 5 mile marker, I knew it was the home stretch and this helped me push forward. I finished in 66 minutes and 41 seconds. I couldn’t have been happier or more exhausted crossing that finish line!

I am so proud of myself. The goal I had in my head, that I never expected to achieve, was 66 minutes. I will totally take 66:41 as a BIG WIN for me!

My friends Kelly and Jen ran their 5ks and both did VERY well! Jen even placed 3rd in her age group! I am so proud of both of them!

I don’t know how so many runners have such beautiful pictures after or even before races. I always look like a hot mess! However, I am proud of that messy hair and that sweat! I earned it!

With my first 10k now complete, and my work schedule not really allowing me to run any more races until the fall, I am already itching to do another one. It’s going to be a LONG summer!

Here is my playlist, although honestly, I know music was on while I was running…but I don’t really remember listening to it. I was just focused on every step.

 

I think it’s time to go nap by the pool! See y’all later! Go run! :)

Tomorrow is the big day

 

Weigh-in

This week’s weight – 159.9lbs, –.9lbs. The 150s! I know it’s barely the 150s, but it’s the 150s! This puts me .3 from my first big goal of 50lbs lost. So close! This week’s weight loss puts me at my 5% loss goal since officially starting Weight Watchers Online in January.

Running

Yesterday morning, I had a good run. I was fast…well, for me.

 

Tomorrow is the Lighthouse 10k. My first 10k race. I’m excited and nervous. I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I’m just going to go out there, run and have fun. I have no PR to break, no goal for finish time. My only goal is to finish. My Mom is coming to visit for the weekend and to be my cheerleader! It will be so awesome to have her there at the end waiting for me. We are very close.

Cooking

TJ over at TJ’s Test Kitchen, who I adore, made this fantastic looking Butternut Squash Flatbread. So guess what I did? I changed it a little and made Butternut Squash Pita Pizzas!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked cubed butternut squash, in small cubes  
2  Whole Wheat Pitas
2 Tbsp red onion, sliced  
1 garlic clove, finely diced   
3 Tbsp fat-free ricotta cheese  
2 Tbsp Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend  
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  

Instructions

Toast pita loaves in a 400 degree oven until just crispy.

Mix ricotta and garlic, smear onto pita loaves. Top with cooked squash and onion, pressing lightly down into the ricotta. Top with 1 tbsp each of italian cheese blend and bake until cheese melts. Top with 1 tbsp each of Parmesan cheese and serve.

The changes I made: I skipped the olive oil, used fat free ricotta in it’s place and I used pita bread instead of traditional pizza crust. I got the points value down to 4 points per pita! I’m sure TJ’s pizza is AMAZING though. I just don’t need that many leftovers of it, so I chose the pita bread. I had a side of steamed “Baby boom-boom cabbage” on the side. If you don’t know why I’m calling brussels sprouts “baby boom-boom cabbage”, which I intend to do from now on, please go visit Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit, which you should be doing daily anyway.

Wrap it up Tonyne….

I hope to post a race recap on Saturday at some point. Wish me luck! I’m still looking for a few more songs to round out my playlist…anyone got any suggestions to keep me moving? So far I have gotten such suggestions as Rod Stewart “Do ya think I’m sexy”, Salt –n- Peppa “Push It” and Michael Jackason “Beat It”. They are all going on the playlist. Give me what ya got! :)

Happy Friday!

It’s all Greek to me!

 

Let’s start with my run yesterday morning. It was GREAT.

It was just the confidence boost I needed for Saturday. It was one of those runs that let me going “Who is this person?”! However, my knee started to feel a little wonky when I finished and did for about 2 hours. It passed and it’s not bothering me now, but I may take it easy on it until Saturday just in case. Going to play it by ear. I skipped weights this morning just to be safe.

Speaking of training, kinda, I read this awesome article yesterday about 10 Steps to extend your running life. It’s good for any level of runner from beginner to advanced. It’s full of great tips for avoiding injury and enjoying running. Click Here for the full article. Some of the steps I currently practice, I have good shoes, I listen to my body and all that good stuff, but like with any hobby or activity, you need to learn about it. Stay fresh on current advice, etc. So, I urge any of you runners/joggers out there to READ THIS ARTICLE! Go do it, I’ll wait…

 

I think it’s probably good advice for anyone, even those who don’t run or jog. Ok, enough already, I know, I know. But with only 3 days left until my 10k I’m sort of running focused.

Dinner last night was very Greek inspired. It started with Feta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken breasts, I added whole wheat couscous (with olives & artichoke) and some brussels sprouts (surely they have those in Greece, right?).

Feta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken (4 points)

1/2 tsp olive oil, divided   

1/2 small onion(s), chopped   

5oz spinach, fresh

1 tsp lemon juice   

2 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled   

1 tsp table salt, divided   

1/2 tsp black pepper, divided   

2 four ounce uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast

Instructions

In a large nonstick skillet heat oil; sauté onion until golden, 5 minutes.
Wilt spinach (steam spinach or heat damp spinach over medium heat in nonstick pan); stir in zest, feta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Divide spinach mixture between cutlets. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove toothpicks.

For the couscous, I just made it as directed, added some chopped kalamata olives, 2 tbsp plain fat free greek yogurt and 1 marinated artichoke heart chopped. For the sprouts, I steamed them then made a sauce out of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stirred the sprouts in it. Easy, fairly quick and something I could easily serve to company. Those are the best meals!

And in case you missed this important piece of news yesterday, the cast of  Jersey Shore was caught working out in Miami. JWow was in a TUBE TOP. Who jump ropes in a Tube Top? JWOW! That’s who! Sorry, I could pass it up…I can’t turn away from Jersey Shore. It’s my super trashy TV guilty pleasure. You can find all the pictures at FitSugar.com.

So now you now you know my trashy TV guilty pleasure. What’s yours?

Weekend Update with Tonyne

 

Hi everyone! I had  a pretty good weekend. I hope you did too! I ate well, I got a new running headband, from BonidiBand.com…

…that I love and I think sums me up pretty well! I ordered it and 3 days later it arrived! They are super fast! I tested it on my Sunday run and it stayed on my head the whole time, it worked GREAT. They didn’t give me this headband or pay me to say that either. I’m just a girl that has been desperate for years to find a headband that stayed on my head. Thank you BondiBand!

On Saturday, I had to work. After work I went to the grocery store…totally boring! But on Sunday I met my friend Kelly for brunch and I wore another skirt! I think I’m liking this skirt thing.

 

I ate a bit heavy at brunch because I started my day off with a pretty decent 4 mile run, so I was starving by the time we got there. This will be my last long’ish run before the 10k on Saturday.

I did log the points for everything I ate and I started my meal with mixed fruit. After brunch we went to the beach. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures, but it was a beautiful day.

A few days ago, Jen from Slim-Shoppin.com, asked if I would be interested in being part of her weight loss success story blog series. Of course I said Yes! She asked me some really great questions and posted my story on her blog Sunday evening.

Her site if full of good information and inspiration! Be sure to stop by and say hello!

All in all, it was a great weekend. I wish I could have spent more time with the husband but his main goal this weekend was sleep and I think he may have overachieved his goal a bit! We work different schedules so now I won’t see him again until Wednesday.

Here is my meal plan for the week!

Meatless Monday – Vegetarian Burrito Casserole

Tuesday – Spinach & Feta Stuff Chicken breast with Quinoa

Wednesday – Eggplant Cutlets with Tomato Olive relish

Thursday – Cheeseburger Pita Pizza

Friday – Whatever my Mama wants for dinner! She is coming down for my 10k! :)

It’s Monday again. They seem to be coming around fast these days, huh? I plan on doing some Yoga after work. My body just told me to sleep that extra hour this morning…I didn’t feel much like arguing with it.

What book are you reading right now? I need some recommendations for beach/poolside reading!

7 miles

It's 5:40am and I am awake! I am bound and determined to get reacquainted with this hour of the day. Would I rather be sleeping? Absolutely. However I am proud that I am awake. With my work schedule really becoming something rather hectic for the next few months, I worry that the blog will suffer. So, I'm going to try to start writing early in the morning that way it's done and posted before the mad dash begins. So, getting up at 5:15am not only gives me time for a work out it gives me a little time to blog!

As for my workout this morning, I am going to do AM Yoga with Rodney Yee. I have had this DVD forever, but I love it. He has a very soothing voice.

I chose Yoga this morning because I am a little stiff from my 7 mile run yesterday. That's right, my 7 mile run.



That is my farthest distance yet. I am proud of myself for completing the run, however it was far from my best run. I was very sluggish and slow due to the fact I didn't get enough sleep, I had a bit too much drink the night before and I didn't eat appropriately the day before either. It was ROUGH. The Lighthouse 10k is in 2 weeks, this chick will be doing some clean living until after that. I can't put my body through another run like that. I felt like I was hitting the wall for the entire run. But, I did finish it! I wanted to quit so many times, but I didn't. I finished.

So, it's Monday morning and 2 of my goals have been completed. I completed my 7 mile run (finally) and I am awake before 6am. Go me! Let's put the Easter Candy away and keep the pendulum swinging in the right direction for awhile!

We are having a heat wave here in NC. It's supposed to be 80 degrees today! It would be the perfect day to sit on the beach or by the pool! How's the weather where you are?

Meatless Monday - Spinach & Pea Manicotti

Last night after work, I was drained. I didn't feel like doing anything. I did manage to do a little stress relief yoga and cook dinner for me and my friend Kelly. I used EatBetterAmerica.com's Three Cheese Manicotti recipe as a guideline. Below is the recipe how I modified it.



Spinach & Pea Manicotti

8 dried manicotti shells
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup diced onions
1 cup chopped frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
3/4 cup frozen sweet peas (thawed)
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)
3/4 cup egg white substitute
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce combined with garlic & onion powder & Italian seasoning to taste.(and 1/4 cup diced tomatoes if you have them available)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, for filling, coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add onions, spinach, peas and garlic to hot skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or just until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, the egg substitute, and Italian seasoning. Spoon filling into cooked manicotti shells.

3. Spread about 1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti shells in individual baking dishes or large baking dish, overlapping shells slightly if necessary. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.

4. Bake, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes for individual baking dishes or 35 to 40 minutes for large baking dish or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese & Parmesan Romano. Bake for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This is a very exhausted me holding up the finished product.



This was a really good dish. I love the flavor of spinach and peas together! It reminded me a lot of Gina's Spinach Lasagna Rolls I made awhile back. I paired it with a spinach salad and it was a very filling meal. Kelly enjoyed it as well...we paired it with a glass bottle of red while we discussed our excitement for Girls Weekend.

This morning I had a pretty good run for a Tuesday! I seem to usually struggle on Tuesdays, but I'm not sure why. Today was good though.



While I was running, I kept thinking "I can't believe how much I love running". I really can't. I'm in shock at how much it's changed my life. I'm not the best runner or the fastest, but I have a passion for it that is almost equal to my love of food. :)

I want to thank you all for your amazing comments on my SELF magazine appearance. If you would have told me 1 year ago that I would be in a magazine that didn't focus on cheeseburgers, chubby chicks or beer I would have laughed you right out of town. I've come a long way baby, and I'm damn proud of it.


I want you all to take a minute and think about something for me. What have you done lately that makes you say "Damn! I'm proud of me!"? Tell me. :)

SELF Magazine, what? That's nonsense!

I can finally tell you my super secret news!

On Saturday, I got a phone call from a friend shortly after getting home from work. "YOU'RE FAMOUS" she screamed into the phone. I wouldn't go that far, but it is pretty cool to finally be able to share my super secret news with you.



That's me, down at the very bottom, sharing a magazine page with Jessica Alba in SELF Magazine's April issue! I was asked and the pictures were taken back in November (well, except the running picture which had to be retaken...still not fond of that one) and I didn't want to tell anyone until the magazine was on the shelves. We all know how these things can fall through.

How did it happen? Well about 9 months ago SELF asked a question on Twitter (I don't remember the question or my answer) and I answered. They didn't use my answer for whatever it was but several months later I got an email from one of the editors telling me about their new "My SELFy Day" column. They thought I would be a good fit and they wanted me to submit some tweet-like updates about a day when I did SELFy things, healthy and balanced. I used a day when I was in Greensboro as an example. They liked my submission and therefore made me the first My SELFy Day in print form.

It's really surreal, but I have to say, it's a pretty awesome way to turn 30...which will happen on March 31st. :) Speaking of that, on Friday I leave for Savannah for Girls Weekend and I couldn't be more excited! My meal plan for the week is pretty lame because of it, but here it is:

Meatless Monday - Healthified Three-Chesse Manicotti from EatBetterAmerica.com
Tuesday - Boca Burger and French Un-Fried Potatoes
Wednesday - Butternut Squash Orzo
Thursday - Tuna Cakes and some vegetable side

Since I'm leaving Friday morning I have no idea what my Friday night will be like!

Oh and just in case you're interested, on Sunday I had a kick ass 6 mile run. Yes "Kick ass" is needed to describe it.



How was your weekend? Did you do anything active? Cook any crazy good healthy recipes?

Breakfast in Bed & Chicken Yogurtoff

This morning, I'm writing to you from the comfort of my bed. Sounds luxurious, huh? Well, it's not really, my husband fell asleep on the couch again so my 45'ish minutes of waking up before the gym is being done from the bed. This is making it pretty tough not to go back to sleep I have to say, thank goodness for coffee!

Yesterday morning's run wasn't very good. I managed to knock out 3 miles in just over 30 minutes, but I felt as if I was set in concrete. Every step felt like twice the effort. Not sure if it's the time change or recovery from Sunday's 6 miler, but it was a doozie. Tuesday runs always seem to be the toughest for some reason. This morning is weight training again and I have to say, I'm sort of getting used to it and I'm starting to enjoy it. I didn't think that was ever going to happen! I do some jumping jacks between weight machines and that helps me to keep my heart rate up and keep me engaged. I think that is what made the difference for me.

Last night I was totally winging it in the kitchen. I had some ideas, but I didn't know how it was going to come together, but here it is, I give you...

Chicken "Yogurtoff" (like stroganoff, get it? haha it makes me laugh)



Ingredients

1 3/4 cup(s) cooked whole wheat pasta
7 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup(s) onion(s), diced
1/2 cup(s) Stonyfield Farm Oikos Plain
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced

Instructions

Cook chicken in a medium skillet over med-high heat until almost finished.

Blend together last 4 ingredients with a whisk, add seasoning to taste, I added salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder. Mix.

Pour yogurt sauce over chicken, add a little fat free chicken broth if needed. Let simmer for 5 minutes, add cooked pasta and let simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.



I decided to omit the mushrooms from the traditional stroganoff just out of personal preference but it would make a great addition. Like most of the food I cook, it's not the prettiest thing to look it, like most comfort food, but it sure does taste good! It makes 2 servings and per WW Online Recipe Builder it's 6 points per serving.

I have an exciting week coming up next week, I have some Super Secret News I can't wait to share with you and my Girls Weekend Trip to Savannah! This is the week my schedule changes so I am off from work tomorrow. I am looking forward to sleeping in a little bit.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Did you remember to wear green?

And we're back!

Monday arrived as quickly as usual and here we are again. I hope you all had fantastic weekends. Mine was very laid back, but very great. Saturday we took our niece to the movies to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. While waiting, we had some fun with our 3D glasses.

And before you even ask, yes I ate popcorn with butter and yes I shared a regular Coke with the husband. I enjoyed it, I planned appropriately points wise and I moved along. It's all about balance, remember?

After the movie we went grocery shopping and I loaded up on fresh produce! That whole, 2 weeks without a trip to the grocery store left me craving fresh fruit and veggies with a vengeance. I have eaten 3 monster size salads since Saturday night and I have one packed for lunch! When I post my meal plan in a few minutes, you'll see the veggie craving there as well.

On Sunday I had a 6 mile run scheduled. It was really windy here, so I chose to do the run on the treadmill. The dehumidifier in my amenity center is broken (there is an indoor pool in there) and it was like running in a sauna, but I opened the windows and had a nice breeze flowing through. It turned out to be a pretty good run!



So much to say today!! Can ya'll still hang with me for a bit?



I would like to send out a HUGE congratulations to Nicole over at ...Let Them Eat Lettuce... today for competing in her first 5k on Sunday! And she did it on near her birthday! So congratulations and Happy early Birthday!!



Meal Plan for the week!

Meatless Monday - Roasted Vegetable Fajitas with Mexican rice
Tuesday - Chicken Stroganoff type dish using greek yogurt that I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to make yet.
Wednesday - Black Bean Cakes with Avocado Butter
Thursday - Grilled Vegetable Pita Pizzas
Friday - Crunchy Talapia Filet with a salad

See, I told you you would see a lot of veggies. That's 3 meatless meals!

Wow, if you managed to stay with me through all of this, I am IMPRESSED!

Tell me this...is there anything you'd like to see more of here on Unlikely Success Story? I know I write this mostly for me, but I would like to keep you somewhat interested.

What can I do to keep you reading?

Hi 5:15am. Nice to meet you.

Those who know me well know I love sleep. I love sleep so much I could marry it. I love to flip my pillow to the cool side, sigh contentedly as I drift back to sleep after the alarm goes off and I've hit snooze for the 3rd time.

However, when it comes to my morning runs this often leads to me being pressed for time, rushing out the door and not properly warming up or stretching. On Sundays I wake up at least 1 hour before I want to begin my run. I eat some toast and jam, drink a cup of coffee and really wake up before I head out for my run. I decided to apply this to a week day run, that meant waking up at...

5:15am

Wow. The only time I get up before 6am is if travel is involved. This morning I only hit snooze once at 5am and then got out of bed at 5:15. My coffee was brewing, I made some toast and I sat down and watched the news. I caught up on some blog reading, played around on facebook. Then, after I finished my toast, I cleaned up the house a little, I was full of energy and it was 6:15, time to run. It was raining, so I headed to the gym and...



pounded out an AWESOME run! I felt better, ran harder, had enough time to warm up...it was as good as my Sunday runs. I can't wait to see what happens to me this afternoon and this evening...will I crash? I guess I'll have to wait and see, but if it means running well and feeling good, I think 5:15am and I might just become friends.

I don't know if you noticed a new edition to the side of my blog right over there --> but I've jumped on the FormSpring wagon. Feel free to ask me anything either by using the box provided or clicking here. I'm not at all interesting though...you've been warned. :)

Last night's dinner of crockpot BBQ chicken was tasty, but not really worth the calories, so I'm not sharing it. I'm looking forward to modifying tonight's dinner. It's a recipe I found for Lentil & Sausage Soup. I tend to like my lentil soup more stew like than soup like but I love the idea of putting pasta in it. I'm also going to use Smoked Turkey Sausage as well. Yummy! We'll see what it becomes. I still haven't had to break down and go to the grocery store. I haven't been in almost 2 weeks! Yay for pantry items! I really miss fresh fruit and produce though, I'm officially (aside from some carrots) out.

Ok, I need a new run mix so I want to know...What is your "Get Pumped" song?

Right now, what's been working for me is Korn - Freak on a Leash

Everyone has one...a song that comes on and you can't help but feel amped up and ready to go. No matter how silly...I want to know! Please share! :)

I tried to stay away!

I didn't want to write today. I didn't have much to say. But then I thought about it and I wanted to write. It helps keep my head in the game. So here I am!

Last night I went for a run directly after work.



BAD RUN. I couldn't find my stride, I recently started running with a fanny pack type thing for phone and ID (I had been running without both...oops) and it wasn't staying put like it's supposed to so I was fighting with that, I didn't wear any compression clothing so my clothes felt soaked, my breathing was spotty and my knees hurt. I was a hot mess. I am just glad I made it through. I think I will stick to my morning runs going forward.

When I got home I turned up John Mayer's Battles Studies album and let the music wash over me. That's my favorite way to cook. I may or may not turn spatulas into microphones.



Last night's dinner turned out to be a great quick & easy meal! I marinated some lean beef, 1 yellow bell pepper and 1/2 of a small onion with 2 Tbsp of Lawry's Ginger Sesame marinade while some brown rice cooked. Then I cooked the beef, peppers and onions in my wok, added a little Sriracha for good measure (I LIKE IT HOT!) and served with rice and broccoli.



Yum. I like food. I have the leftovers for lunch today.

It's humpday. My last official one until, well, I'm not sure. My schedule changes to Thursdays and Sundays off for the summer because my work is largely seasonal. This coming weekend is my last one off. Of course, I'm taking 2 more off that I know of, one for Girls Weekend (in 16 days!) and one for my 10k, so I guess it's more of a "see ya later" to weekends. Ok, that was confusing to everyone but me. :)

I am going to need lots of ideas for quick and easy meals in the Spring and Summer.

What's your favorite quick, easy and healthy meal?

Manic Monday!

I'm pretty sure that whenever you take a vacation day from work, those who are left in the office find extra work for you to do upon your return to punish you. At least that's what it feels like this morning. My office is a zoo. So, this will be quick.

My trip to Greensboro was wonderful, as always! I packed healthy road trip snacks. Thank you guys so much for the advice! You had some great ideas!



100 Calorie popcorn, Diet Snapple Peach Tea, a plum and 2 mini Cadbury Eggs. It was perfect! I ate everything but the plum during the drive.

Friday morning I woke up wanting to run. Since I skipped my Thursday run, I figured why not! So I put on my shoes and started out with no real plan. I had a great run and stopped at one of my favorite spots.



Friday night we went out and had a GREAT time. I ate too much and drank too much but if walking from bar to bar and dancing my butt off burns calories, I probably did pretty well. Here's a group shot!



Saturday was my rest day and I rested. I got my hair cut, spend some time with my family. We cooked dinner at home and watched DVDs.

Sunday was my 5 mile training run. I didn't want to get out the door, but I'm really glad I did. The weather (for both of my runs actually) was BEAUTIFUL. Here are the stats:



Like my other long runs, the 2nd time doing the distance is a little easier than the first. Greensboro has a lot of hills and I'm used to running at the beach with no hills. So that presented a nice challenge, although I was cursing the hills most of the time. After my run I hung out with my family for awhile before beginning my drive back. My snacks included a 100 Calorie Oatmeal Pie and a Diet Pepsi.

Now I'm back at work and it's crazy. I haven't even begun to think of a meal plan for the week, I'll probably work on that tonight. Tonight is Meatless Monday dinner and I'm torn as to what to make. I know it will involve some or a combination of the following:

Butternut Squash
Spinach
Pasta
Soy Crumbles
Frozen Mixed Vegetables

That's what I got in the fridge...who has some ideas?

Do you find it hard to remain true to your healthy lifestyle when around your family?

It's so hard for me. I am really proud of myself for running, usually I just go completely off the wagon.

Welcome back to Monday!

Meatless Monday, I think I love you...

"I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of, I'm afraid that I'm not sure of, a love there is no cure for..."

Did anyone else watch the Today show this morning? I'm pretty sure that song is going to end up on a running mix soon. I can't stop singing it. I could sing this song to last night's dinner, that's for sure! It was YUMMY. Yes, capitalization is required on that one!

I made Gina's Spinach Lasagna Rolls. If you haven't checked out her website SkinnyTaste.com yet, you really should. She has amazing recipes!



I followed her recipe closely, except I used whole wheat lasagna noodles, fat free mozzarella, and I added some dehydrated minced onion, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper to the ricotta cheese mixture. I also used a Parmesan/Reggiano blend grated cheese. I also used some canned tomato sauce that I jazzed up with red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder. I probably only used 1/4 of the sauce the recipe calls for. I'm not huge into sauce and neither is Kelly (who joined me for dinner). We both thought this recipe was fantastic! I served it with a small Cesar salad on the side, light dressing of course.



You'll see this one again, you'll definitely be seeing variations of it again too! I love the rolls, it's simple and makes such a beautiful presentation. Ok, I'm stopping now. :) Thanks Gina for a great recipe!

This morning I had a run scheduled for 30-45 minutes. I ran for 40 slow minutes. I'm not feeling 100%, but I am proud that I did it. The Sleep Monster almost won.



I knew I needed to get up and run though, and I need to get a lot of exercise and healthy eating in this month because on the 27th, I have reservations to eat with 9 of my girlfriends at The Lady & Sons in Savannah! And later that day, a Haunted Pub Crawl! You can bet your heavily buttered buns I'm going off-plan that day! Will I feel bad? Not one bit. It's all about balance. There will be much walking involved too...from one bar, to the next. :) Half kidding...

So many of you are excited and amped up for March! Reading your comments yesterday gave me motivation! I can't wait to see where this month takes us! :)

Monday with a Bullet

I wish the weeks were only 2 days long and the weekends were 5 days long. I personally think I would be more productive in the 2 days than I am in 5. I'm just saying. :)

Weekend catch-ups!

My "Holy Crap" Saturday continued when the husband agreed to go bowling with me on Saturday night. My husband is a REALLY good bowler and has bowled most of his life. He "retired" last year and is taking the year off from bowling. When we first started dating we bowled together all the time. I've never been good. He usually spends most of our games bowling with his left hand (he's right handed) or throwing trick shots. We truly just play for fun. Well, he gave me a few pointers Saturday night...I ended up breaking 100 for the first time ever! I also beat Jeff...of course, he wasn't really bowling very seriously.



He may kill me for posting that, but oh well. :)

We met some friends out for drinks after bowling. I was very proud of myself. I kept in mind the fact that I had a 5 mile run on Sunday morning and only had a couple beers. I woke up Sunday morning feeling great, but a little tired. I had a bagel thin with some sugar free strawberry preserves, had some coffee and about an hour and a half later headed out the door for my run.



That is the longest I've ever ran outside. I ran around my neighborhood and had to run a 2nd loop. I hate repeating runs, they are so boring. Half of this run was done "against the wind" and every time I say that (or type it) I start singing that damn song. It was a tough run, with some wind gusts up to 15mph, but I'm glad I did it. I'm just praying for no real winds on the day of my 10k.

It's the first day of the March and I have so much going on this month.

March 5-7th - A trip to Greensboro to see the Family
March 13-14 - My last official weekend off for the season, my days off will switch back to Sundays and Thursdays - Boo.
March 26th-28th - My Girls Weekend trip to Savannah to celebrate...
March 31st - My 30th Birthday

There is something else special that is going to happen in March, but I can't tell you what it is right now. You're just going to have to wait and see.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends!

What are you looking forward to this month?