Two Weeks to Vegas!

My friend Nikki and I are going to Vegas for a girls weekend two weeks from today and I cannot wait! We are hoping for some sunshine seeing as it is snowing right now in Portland. Yes, snowing at the end of February.

Sunshine means bathing suits by the pool and I want to make sure I feel my best so these two weeks are going to be all about eating well and not taking any extra days off from the gym.

Day 1: I ate really well all day at work today. Came home and wanted to crash on the couch but changed quickly and went to the gym before I lost all motivation. Had a great workout and came home to make dinner with Dan.

Here's what we made:

Grilled chicken, steamed broccolli, and some baked yukon gold potatoes. Added a little bit of light ranch dressing to my potatoes and some Yumm Sauce to dip my chicken in. Delicious!

Now it's time to relax for our Thursday night lineup on TV....

Bernard is relaxing with us too.....

Taking Victory on the Half Marathon!

In 2009 I began training for my first half marathon. A few weeks before the race I began getting sharp throbbing pains on the outside of my right leg. I had been training so hard that there was no way I was going to quit and not run the race.

With my leg all taped up I began the race set out to finish no matter what. At about 8 miles my leg became so stiff and painful that I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I made it another 2 miles and then began getting pain in my achilles tendon that I could not ignore. I walked the remaining 3 miles of the race with tears in my eyes. I was so disappointed that I had to walk across the finish line instead of the finish I had envisioned.

After months off of running and several months of physical therapy I am back to running and have decided that I would like to run another half marathon. My husband actually brought up the idea of running the same half marathon I did in 2009 to take victory on that race. I thought that was a wonderful idea! Although I know that a half marathon is a big accomplishment I have been very disappointed about not finishing that race as I would have liked ever since. The second time around I am going to kick its butt!

To find races in your area I have found a great site; runningintheusa.com. You can sort races by state and then by month to plan out your training. To a happier and healthier 2001!

Taco Tuesday

So I huge ambitions for myself this evening. I found a great new veggie recipe in one of my magazines to pair with some quinoa and grilled chicken. I was going to stop at the grocery store after work, pick up the ingredients and then head home to cook a delicious and healthy meal for me and the hubs.

Well, the day at work turned into an exhausting one and guess what I wanted to do when I was off? That's right, NOT cook. So instead we went to Baja Fresh for a quick, cheap, and semi-healthy dinner.

I always get a Grilled Mahi Mahi Taco

Only 230 calories and 9 grams of fat. Pretty decent for fast food and with a few chips and a side of guacamole I was stuffed without feeling guilty about what I ate for dinner.

Monster Cookies

I had a dream about Monster Cookies-not sure if that's what everyone calls them? My sisters and I used to make these cookies with my mom when we were little. We would make a ton of dough and keep it in the freezer so we could make Monster Cookies all month long! I hadn't thought about these cookies for years but had a random dream that I was eating them, weird.

I am the middle sister and my older and younger sisters both live out of state. I was getting ready to mail out their Christmas packages when I had this dream about Monster Cookies. I decided that I had to make them to mail with their gifts so I ran out to get all of the ingredients. Maybe this will become a tradition?

They turned out just how I remembered:)

You have to make them large or they won't turn out chewy and yummy inside.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (I used half quick oats & half old fashioned oats)
• I added about a cup of coconut as well (optional)

Directions

Combine eggs and sugars. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to over bake them. Let stand for about 3 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.

I also made another version where I substituted raisins for the M&Ms and added lots of coconut. They were delicious as well!

Heated Yoga

I have been attending yoga classes for a few years now at my gym. I find that after a long week of work and life yoga seems to recharge me unlike any other workout. It is the only time that I actually turn off my brain and just focus on balance and strength.

I have been wanting to try heated yoga for some time now so when my friend invited me to come to her yoga studio for FREE I was definitely in.

We went to Core Power Yoga in Portland and I was hooked the minute I walked in the door. You take off your shoes right when you walk in the door and there is hot tea waiting for you. The atmosphere justs asks for you to be calm and relaxed.

It is cold here in Portland right now so walking into the heated yoga classroom was a pleasure in itself.

The class we attended was not quite as crowded as the above picture because we attended the 7:30pm class on a Wednesday. I was thankful that the class wasn't very full as it was less intimidating. Although I have been practicing yoga about once a week this class was tough.

I am in pretty good shape and I found myself dripping with sweat within about 15 minutes. If you decide to try heated yoga I definitely recommend buying a yoga towel that goes on top of your mat to keep it drip free.

I loved heated yoga and cannot wait until I can afford a membership at a yoga studio (for now I will just purchase a few classes at a time). I encourage you to go out and try a heated yoga class though, many studios offer free classes or discounted first-timer rates. You will love it!

The Color of 2011

The votes are in and it is being predicted that the most popular color for 2011 will be................

Honeysuckle

So start shopping for a honeysuckle dress to pair with tights and boots or maybe a honeysuckle workout tank. If you aren't THAT into pink you could always use this as your go to nail polish shade for the new year.

More Breakfast

Ok, here is another delicious breakfast that can be prepared in 5 minutes!

Oatmeal with Blueberries and Walnuts

So easy. Put 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats and a few walnuts in a bowl and put enough water in the bowl to barely cover the oats. Microwave for about 1min 45sec. Top with blueberries (the ones I used were frozen so I had to defrost those first). Done!