Thursday, December 31, 2009

Cranberry Dip

I have been SO good over these holidays. I have indulged somewhat but I caved with this stuff. We made THREE batches at my parents house for Christmas. I made ANOTHER for New Year's. Oh my oh my oh my this is just TOOO good!

Cranberry Dip

1 12oz bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
3 green onions
1 bunch cilantro
1-2 jalapenos {seeded}
lime juice {to taste}
8oz brick cream cheese
Tortilla chips or crackers

Cut onions, cilantro and jalapenos into 1" sections. Mix cranberries, onions, cilantro and jalapenos in a food processor. Add lime juice if needed or desired. Place cream cheese on platter and pour cranberry mixture on top. Use chips or crackers to dip.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Breakfast of Champions

We ♥LOVE♥ breakfast! It's the most important meal of the day, didn't you know?! A few of our favorite breakfasts are breakfast burritos, crepes, oatmeal, 720's {a breakfast roll we've thought up and perfected}, quiche... okay so we love everything breakfast! We really believe its importance though. We want to be sure our kids have a lot of energy and brain power for school and we want the same for ourselves. So we are sure that EVERY morning we eat a good breakfast... you should too!

I found this awesome article HERE. It mentions a few studies to back up breakfast! One has found that if you skip breakfast you are 4.5 times MORE likely to be obese than those who eat breakfast daily. Now, this article is geared more towards cereals. If you listen carefully to those commercials they always say, "PART of a complete breakfast". So in my HUMBLE opinion, you better be eating something else too. Say, a bowl of fruit & yogurt or some scrambled eggs... whatever you prefer but a bowl of cereal just isn't going to cut it.

Still not convinced? Try these articles on for size. THIS one is about breakfast & the connection with weight loss. THIS one talks about the many benefits of eating breakfast. I could go ON and ON. There are countless articles on how important this is.

So here's to eating better! Start your day out right!! Eat a good breakfast!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Motivation to RUN

In an effort to help get motivated {I've been sick} I found a few videos that I thought I'd share. You go ahead and watch these, I'm going to go RUN!






Monday, December 28, 2009

Spoiled ROTTEN

Christmas was great. We played our hearts out and had a blast the entire weekend!! I am not one to boast about loot from Christmas but I just HAD to share what I got... cause it's what I'm going to be DOING!!! I must have been a really good girl this year because I was spoiled ROTTEN!!

Santa left some GU in my stocking! Ah Yeah!!!He also brought me Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 for my Wii. I am SO ready for her to kick my butt!
My man got me the Wii Fit Plus!! I am so excited; I hear this one is WAY better than the original Wii Fit.And I SCORED BIG time with these Yukon Charlie's snow shoes!!! They were intended for my sister but she already has a pair so she graciously sent them home with ME!!! I seriously CAN NOT wait to try these babies out!
A HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to Stonewall, S. Jay See {my sis} and my parents!! I've got the tools and there are NO EXCUSES!! I you guys!!! Thanks again!!!

I also got a hot new hairdo!! Oh how bad I needed a pro color job!!! It looks so GOOD!!! Thanks goes to my MIL for letting us use her kitchen, My SIL for hooking me up with her sister, K for doing such an amazing job and to Stonewall for forking out the dough! Man I feel good!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Merry Christmas!

I really can't believe that Christmas is just a couple days away! We are so excited to spend time with family and enjoy the snow {we're praying for more to fall}. We have the whole week packed with Christmas Concerts & family gatherings! We'll be heading up to my hometown {the most beautiful place on earth} tomorrow and I can't wait!!! I'm going to make sure and get in at least one good run and maybe some snowshoeing! There will be PLENTY of delicious food, EXCESSIVE laughter and a million memories to show for it!

Two things before I take off.

#1. I think that Christmas is entirely too commercialized and has completely gone away from the TRUE meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. Everyone is so hypersensitive about being PC with the whole holiday. And I think that it's sad.

#2. It IS possible to get through this holiday season without being glutenous! Yes there will be more goodies than you can imagine BUT just remember "All Thing in Moderation"!! Yes it's okay to indulge every now and then but try not to over do it. And then be sure to get off your butt and do something PHYSICAL!! Being surrounded by family is a great opportunity to be active with great company; you'll LOVE it!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Bring on the Competition!!!

I come from a very athletic and competitive family. Both of my parents are natural athletes and continue to participate in sports; they are in their 50's and are avid wakeboard and water skiers among other things. My older sister is good at EVERY sport she tries {the latest being RUGBY}! She even went as far as Ireland to play in a basketball competition. I actually got out of a speeding ticket once because the state trooper thought that I was HER; when I told him of his error he simply handed me my drivers license and said, "Well, tell your sister hi for me." My brothers are equally athletic. All three of them are State competitors &/or champions in various sports including football, wrestling, track and cross country. My younger sister is in her Freshman year but is already showing signs of great talent in soccer and basketball!

And then there is ME! Believe me, I tried!! I went out for sports but wasn't aggressive enough to really excel. I was more of the music and Drama nerd; President of both the Pep Band AND Drama Club my senior year {yep, nerd to the "nth" degree}. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED that, still do; you could say that I'm STILL that music & drama nerd. But if I'm perfectly honest I did well in Track. But I didn't love the track coach; he used "reverse psychology" and that just doesn't work for me. After high school I kept up my running a LITTLE bit in college but I really REALLY wish I had been running all this time!

I went on a great run this morning. 5 miles. It was chilly but not too cold and I was once again reminded how much I LOVE to run outside. I loved hearing the sound of my feet crunching in the snow. My mind starts to wander, I get in my groove and I feel like I could run forever. I started thinking about this Marathon business I've gotten myself into and I got SO EXCITED! And I realized that deep down I have a competitive side when it comes to running but what I love is that is competition with MYSELF!! I knew that side of me was in there somewhere and I'm excited to let it out some more! See what I'm made of! Bring it on baby!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Countdown Begins

So my Sister-In-Law did it. She convinced me to run a marathon. GASP! I've had my reasons for putting it off. And despite the fact that the requirements I've given myself haven't all been met, I'm going to go for it anyway. This is going to be my "MARATHON Year!" Stonewall and I are going to run one together before he leaves too. It will help him be tip top shape before heading in to Basic.

SO
... I am starting Jeff Galloway's Marathon Training Schedule TODAY!! On the rest days I will be doing a variety of strength training workouts... pulling from P90X, Wii Fit, Jillian Michaels workout DVD's and the like. I like to mix things up, keep my body {and mind} guessing!

I have already identified my BIGGEST HURDLE: the darn treadmill! I hate the thing. I hate that I'm not outside. I hate that the speed isn't the same as running outside. I hate that time & distance seem to EEK by. I hate how it's so noisy {I don't like to listen to ANYTHING while I run, well except for my feet hitting the street & other outdoor noises!}. UGH! There is more BUT I have GOT to change my attitude.

I picked myself up a couple books on tape: Hitler Youth {I am a WWII geek} and my M-I-L brought over The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Nieme. I am REALLY hoping that they keep me occupied enough that I forget I'm on the treadmill or at least make it bearable.

Got any pointers for my first marathon?

Sunday, December 13, 2009

In A Frump

I'm in a major workout slump. Our temps have been in the negatives for what seems like an eternity, but in reality is probably only a couple weeks. It was warmer today {20°} which was great because it was finally able to snow!!! But even then I am lacking motivation {I have a MILLION reasons to leave those running shoes in the closet, some are actually pretty good ones too}. But alas I know better and need to get my butt back in gear.

Aside from that I have had, dare I admit?... a case of the blues. GASP! Could it be connected to my lack of exercise? Maybe... probably. I always feel better if I'm working out regularly. I have really been looking for some change {yes I realize I will have more change than I can stomach in 7 months} and every avenue has brought dead ends. Today it hit me hard. Tonight Stonewall is giving me a good back massage and hopefully after a good night's sleep I'll feel better in the morning.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Army Strong

I haven't disappeared. PROMISE! I have slacked a bit, okay A LOT, with running and working out. But I have a REALLY good reason. See we have been COMPLETELY engrossed with applications for the military. Unless you've filled out those papers, you have NO IDEA what is involved!!

Long story... short version. We originally applied for the Air Force's officer program but out of 1500 applicants, they only accepted 72... we weren't among them. So we tried Army, since we had done so much of the application for the Air Force it didn't take nearly as long to get everything lined up, turned in and sent on it's way {thank goodness}. After that it was REALLY FAST! He passed the board and was sworn in as a "Future Army Specialist". He enters basic training in July. "Stonewall"... that's my man's new nickname, well at least until I think of a better military one, he's not much of a stone wall... but don't tell him I said that. He's super EXCITED! We're excited too. He will be an officer by this time next year!! He was given a packet with all kinds of goodies. My most favorite thing is this flip book, the Army Pocket Physical Training Guide. Oh it's awesome! It's full of exercises and workout routines to prepare these future Army soldiers for the physical demands of their initial training. I am hoping to do some of these exercise sessions with Stonewall, I'm sure they'll kick my butt back in to gear!

We're not just STRONG... we're ARMY STRONG!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Soda Pop HAS to Stop

My family is really good about NOT drinking soda. Our kids don't even get their first drinks of soda until, oh... 4 years old. My husband doesn't touch the stuff; okay maybe the occasional Henry Weinhard's but seriously, that's ONLY for special occasions... like maybe holidays! I, however, am a closet soda lover!! We NEVER buy the stuff... because if it's around... I WILL DRINK IT!! There, I said it. Do I favor one soda over another? Not really! If it's bubbly, I'll drink it... unless it's diet, no way will I drink diet. What's sad though is I may not even really LIKE it but I STILL DRINK IT!! I HATE the way my body feels afterwards too. But does that stop me? No. Sigh.

As of late I have been drinking A LOT of soda too. 7Up has to put out their so super yummy Pomegranate flavored drink on the shelves this time of year and I cave... big time. Plus I took my four kids on a little road trip and I think I drank more soda in that 2 day period than I did in our entire 8 day vacation in October. YUCK!

Why do I do this to myself? I feel dehydrated and grimey. Carbonation is so horrid. Whether it's in soda or water {don't even get me started on how stupid I think THAT is} carbonation is just not good for you! Those little bubbles detroy the nutrients and digestive enzymes in the food we eat. It makes bones brittle. For crying out loud I use Pepsi to clean off my car battery!!! I can only imagine what the stuff is doing to my digestive tract. And though those Diet sodas may toot the Zero-Calorie horn, the sugars in diet soda are WORSE for you!! Thank goodness we're down to just 2 cans of soda left in the house. I've got my bottle of water following me around the house again and I'm sure I'll be feeling MUCH better soon!

Nike Trainer

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