Spring = Out With the Old

I know that the saying, "Out with the old, in with the new" is associated with the New Year, but for me, it resonates more when Spring arrives to Arkansas.  The warm weather (okay, it's 90 degrees right now, so hot weather) makes me want to make things new again.  Here is what I am working on improving right now:

1. I am working on improving my fitness.  I am still doing Les Mills Combat and will start Week 6 tomorrow. I am feeling strong and healthy.  I ran a 5K this morning and actually finished second overall in the women's division.  The competition wasn't that steep, but still, I came in second.  AND I beat a bunch of dudes and teenagers.  
2. We are doing "maintenance" on the exterior of our house.  This entails getting it repainted and some stucco repaired where a damned woodpecker did a number on the pillars and couple of other places.  Don keeps running out there with the gun when we hear if pecking, but it is too smart for him and always gets away. This is a good thing considering that it is illegal to kill a woodpecker.  We are also remodeling our deck.  We hired a contractor to tear out the old deck and build a new one (more on this later).  It should be finished on Tuesday - just in time for Memorial Day Weekend! I bought new patio furniture and a Big Green Egg (something I've wanted for two years; more on this later).  All of this crap has to be assembled before next weekend and I am leaving town on business tomorrow and won't be back for a week....so I guess Don will have to find someone else to cuss at - err, I mean help him - with this project.
3. I am also refinishing some adirondack chairs that I purchased on clearance at JC Penney two years ago.  I assembled them and put them outside.  Within three months, they were molded and disgusting.  Don wanted me to throw them out but I decided to sand them down and paint them.  They have three coats of paint and they still look like crap (more on this later).

Basically, I want my surroundings to look new again - spring should reflect freshness, including a fresh perspective on life and living - so out with the old!

Counting Calories...How Dreadful!

I hate counting calories!  But I have come to the conclusion that I probably need to start.  I stepped on the scales this morning and I had gained another couple of pounds.  Ugh!  I really don't understand this because I do eat right.  I eat large quantifies, but they are usually of healthy foods.  I guess that no matter what you eat, at the end of the day, it all adds up.

My Current BMI

This week, I decided to start counting calories.  I won't do this permanently, but I need to gauge just how many I am consuming on average.  Last Friday, I figured out my body mass index (BMI) and then what my daily caloric intake should be if I want to lose one pound a week.  You can check yours at WebMD.

I have a healthy BMI, but you can always be healthier and I could stand to shed a few inches around my tummy and thighs.  If you take a look at the graphic above, you will see that there are actually tabs across the top and one reads, "Your Calories."  If you complete the profile - it is FREE - then it will figure your BMI and tell you how many calories you should consume to lose weight.  It looks like I am going to be eating 1700 calories a day.  So far today, I've had 300, so I'm getting off to a good start :)

Have you checked your BMI lately?

Yummy New Combo :)

Okay, I invented something yummy out of boredom and curiosity...and because two of my favorite items just happened to be on my desk at the same time.

Kroger brand Vitamin Berry Pomegranate and Kroger brand Greek Yogurt

I was eating Greek yogurt (from Kroger, vanilla flavored) and noticed that my water enhancer (also from Kroger) was sitting on my desk.  I wondered what it would taste like to add a little squirt.  It was DELICIOUS!  I love water enhancers but never considered that they might be used in something other than water.  I always bring vanilla flavored Greek yogurt to work because I usually don't have time to add other stuff, but I prefer to eat it plain.  This was a zero calorie solution to adding flavor to plain yogurt and I get to add some more vitamins to the mix. 

Out-of-This World Portabello Pizzas

I have been craving Italian food lately, but most of these dishes are so full of carbs and fat!  I've been resisting, but last night I had to find a way to get in some Italian flavors.  I came up with the recipe below, which uses portabello mushroom caps instead of crust.  Did you know that these mushrooms are low in calories and only have 1 net carb each?  These pizzas are also vegetarian and low fat.  The only fat added is the 5 grams in the cheese (which is low-carb and low-cal), and the pizza sauce, which has 6 net carbs per 1/4 cup.   There is nothing special about the ingredient list, but these little portabello mushroom pizzas turned out to be delicious.  I will be making them again, and again, and again!

Ingredients

• 4 large portabello mushroom caps

(Note: Remove the stems and gills with a knife, and then wipe clean with a damp paper towel - Do NOT rinse them!)

1. Pizza sauce (use pesto instead, if you have it)
2. Fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
3. Whole mozzarella, thinly sliced
4. Fresh basil and oregano
5. Olive oil spray
6. Salt & pepper to taste
   
   

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. After you have prepped the mushroom caps, spray both sides with olive oil spray and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake mushroom caps for 20 minutes, flipping over half-way through.
4. Remove caps from over and reduce heat to 375 degrees.
5. Add 1 tablespoon or sauce or presto to each cap.
6. Add tomatoes (or any topping of your choice - spinach would be good!)
7. Add mozzarella cheese.

8. Return to oven and bake until bubbly.  You can also broil them for a couple of minutes if you want them brown.
9. Remove from oven and add fresh herbs.  Let the pizzas sit until the herbs have wilted.
10. Enjoy!



  

It's About Time...

It's about time.  Time to start spring running.  In Arkansas, running outside during winter is not always possible.  It rains a lot here (we live in a subtropical climate zone, believe it or not), and the winter can be just nasty.  That's my number one excuse for taking a running hiatus each winter.  Excuse number two is a good one. My doctor said I needed to cut back or risk stopping all together.  My knees and hips have seen better days.  I am an old mommy, after all.

I usually start running again during the week we are out of school for Spring Break, so around mid-March.  This year, we were out of town so I didn't get to start.  I also got sick with the flu and then norovirus.  Additionally, the weather is unpredictable here and has not cooperated.  I planned to start this week, but Hubby is out of town and I can't very well leave the baby at home unattended.  Excuses!  Excuses!

I am going to start running later this week.  I have a new stun gun that I am dying to try out on a very mean German shepherd.  Mace no longer deters him, but I think the stun gun might do the trick.  I will be the hero of the running community!  This week...I WILL find a way to run this week...

Feeding the Fury!

I have been working out a lot lately - even more so than usual.  I turn "old" this year and I really want to slide into the big one looking good in a bikini.  Vanity, vanity, vanity - damn you!  Hey, it might be the last summer that I can pull it off, so I'm shooting for it.

I have changed my workout routine.  This is my schedule:

• I'm still doing Pump on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays...followed by 15 minutes of intense cardio.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'm doing 45 minutes on the eliptical, 15 minutes on the bike, and a 15-minute Pump ab video.  On Saturdays and Sundays, I am just doing cardio and basically trying to run outside for an hour, when this crazy Arkansas weather cooperates.
• Now, I've added 20 minutes of walking during the day four days per week with a colleague - fun and easy, and a good opportunity to get out of the office since neither of us ever leaves for lunch.
• I've also added the Combat series.  Yep, this one is killing me.  I am not coordinated enough for these fast-paced routines, but I am determined to get there.  I feel like giving up EVERY NIGHT and I have to MAKE MYSELF get off the couch and do them.  They are grueling, but I was not getting the results I wanted, so I have to keep pushing myself.

The point of this blog is really this: All of this working out is making me hungry.  I mean hungry like a man.  I want large servings of food.  I wake up hungry and I go to bed hungry.  And I want sweet stuff too, not just food-food, but something big and sweet.  I have "invented" a couple of recipes that incorporate two of my favorite treats, chocolate and peanut butter.  The recipes are below.  They are satisfying - don't expect delicious - crap! I'm on a diet!  But they do the trick when one is desperate. Let me know what you think if you try them.

Less-Than-A-Carb Cookies

2 eggs beaten
10 T PB2 peanut butter chocolate - available at Kroger
5 T unsweetened cocoa
1.5 cups Splenda
4 T Premier Protein shake (choc) - available at Sam's Club

Combine. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes.
   

PB2 Protein Shakes

 

1/2 cup of Premier Protein shake (vanilla or chocolate)

1/2 cup Fage Fat Free Greek Yogurt - available at Wal-Mart or Kroger

1/2 cup ice

2 T PB2

2 T Splenda

2 T Oat bran

 

Put everything in your Bullet or blender and pulse until completely smooth.  Any of the ingredients can be adjusted in quantity to suit your taste.

 



Mobility - Mom on the Move!

During the past month, I've had an opportunity to spend a great deal of time thinking about the importance of mobility.  My husband, Don, had his second back surgery (a three-vertebra fusion, this time) a few days into the new year and after a one-week stay in the hospital, he was confined to our home for four additional weeks.  Not only was his mobility limited during this time, the round-the-clock care that he needed required the entire family to stay at home, as well.

While we were at home, I spent a great amount of time contemplating my own mobility and how much it means to me.  As a result, I have decided to change the direction of this blog (to a certain extent) to reflect this theme. 

The word mobile is defined in a variety of ways. 

SPA City Race 2012 (Maddie and I both placed 2nd)

Mirriam-Webster defines the it like this: "capable of moving or being moved."  While my husband was bed/chair bound, I was afforded more time to focus on my personal fitness goals because we were all homebound.  Everyone who knows me knows that I am a health nut.  I work out seven days a week for a minimum of one hour and 15 minutes per day and I try to follow a nutritious diet (most days).  I want to spend more time writing about fitness and health and how important these topics are to women who are busy working and taking care of their families.  Busy women frequently fail to take care of themselves because they spend so much time focusing on others.  During the past month, my children also became ill with stomach bugs and colds.  I remained healthy.  I truly believe that the healthy lifestyle that I choose to follow helps me to better ward off illness and also keeps me mentally sane.  One of the threads for my future blogs will focus on the importance of being active!


SWOW Team (before Don's back surgery)

Dictionary.com defines the word mobile as, "digital technology; pertaining to or noting a cell phone, usually one with a computing ability, or a portable, wireless computing device used while held in the hand."  Don and I spend much of our time planning and providing technology-related professional development to educators in and around the State of Arkansas.  We have started our own organization, Schools Without Walls, which focuses specifically on mobile computing.  We do our best to stay abreast and keep others informed of the value of mobile computing and its application in the classroom.  The second thread within the theme of mobility will focus on this area.

The Temple of Zeus, Spring 2012

Finally, Thesaurus.com lists numerous synonyms for the word mobility, but one in particular is of special interest to me.  My undergraduate degree is in social studies with an emphasis on world geography.  There aren't many things that I love more than traveling to new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures.  I enjoy introducing students to these experiences as well and have had several opportunities to take students abroad.  Next month, I will be taking over 50 people to the Western Carribean on a cruise.  Many of them have never been out of the U.S.  Last spring, I took 44 students and faculty on a trip to Italy and Greece.  Next year, I am taking a group to Ireland and Scotland.  In addition, to student travel, I especially like the process that goes into planning a family vacation.  Right now, I am spending a lot of my free time planning an upcoming trip to the Mediterranean Sea that includes several days in Rome and then another cruise with port stops in Spain and France.  I think that these types of experiences are invaluable to us today because we live in a global society and function within a global economy.  Without global experiences and the 21st Century skills afforded by these experiences, students will not be prepared to be successful in adulthood.  So, my final thread will focus on this time of mobility - travel :)

My goal is to post once a week from this point forward on one of these threads.  I plan to post my first entry next week so please stay tuned!