Weekend Plans

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So Much Pumpkin!

After making pumpkin scones yesterday, I have a ton of leftover pumpkin puree to use up.  Tragic, I know.  😉

With that in mind, I decided to start the day with some Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa:

I replaced a bit of the milk and water with about a tablespoon of pumpkin puree, and topped with a tablespoon of chocolate chips.  If you still haven’t tried quinoa for breakfast, go try it soon!  To learn how to make it, go here.

And expect a post soon about why quinoa is my favorite grain. 🙂

To get some fruit in, I paired my quinoa with a peach:

Readers be warned: a lot more pumpkin will be showing up on the blog in the next few days.  Who am I kidding?  Pumpkin always shows up on the blog.  But now I have a lot of it that needs to be used up soon!

Lesson Learned

I learned a very important lesson after my long run last night:  You will be tired after a long run.  This is no excuse to not fully stretch afterwards.  If you don’t stretch, you will be in a lot of pain a few hours later.  Now my lower back hurts.  A lot.  Today is definitely a rest day!

Here’s hoping my back feels better by Sunday morning for my 15K!

Weekend Plans

I’m pretty pumped about this weekend.  Want to know what’s on the agenda?

Friday evening:  SWE Fall Ball. Kelley, Jenny, Wendy and I are going to be the security/registration people/DDs (designated drivers) all night, which I’m actually kind of excited about.  It means we get to see everyone who comes to the dance and talk to everyone.  It doesn’t hurt that the location this year is awesome:  the beautiful theatre on State Street.  Which, by the way, just happens to be attached to the museum where our wedding is going to be!

Saturday morning:  Farmer’s Market. I haven’t gone in 2 weeks, due to being in California.  I miss it!

Saturday afternoon: Madison Food & Wine Show. Hopefully.  🙂

Sunday morning:  My first 15K!

Sunday afternoon/evening: Cooking party! Several of my friends have been asking me to teach them to cook, so we’re getting together on Sunday to make some simple, healthy dishes!

What are your plans for the weekend?

A New PDR!

I ran 7 miles tonight! My previous PDR was 5 miles, so I’m so excited about this.  I think I can definitely do my 15K this Sunday… its only another 2.3 miles. 😀

Unfortunately, I forgot to clock my time. 😦  But I think I averaged just under a 12:00 pace.

Pre-run, I fueled up with a Run Glo Bar.  It is the perfect size for a pre-workout snack!

Around mile 3.5 or 4, I tried my first energy gel to make sure my stomach could handle them before my 15K.  It can 🙂

Me with my Slipless Headband from Lululemon.  It was my first time using it, and I loved it.  Most running headbands make me overheat really fast, but this one stayed in place and I didn’t get too hot from it!

I was ravenous after my workout and shower, so I went with… breakfast for dinner.

I’ll admit, the driving force behind the decision to have breakfast for dinner was so that I could eat one of these pumpkin scones. They are so moist and full of pumpkin and chocolate-y goodness.  What’s not to like?

An apple with almond butter.

Two eggs scrambled with pesto and Asiago cheese.

Kale chips. Which may be one of my new favorite sides.  Seriously.

Almost an hour later, and I’m still hungry.  I think a snack may be in order… 😉

New: Training Page and Project Strength!

I have now been at LAX for almost 13 hours.  In just one more, we’ll be boarding the plane…

Here’s the deal:  Our flight was overbooked.  Okay, fine, that happens all the time, because people don’t show up or otherwise miss the flight, etc.  The problem comes in when the plane ends up being a smaller one than was originally planned, which is what happened today.  The airline was looking for 19 people to volunteer to give up their seats in exchange for 2 free round-trip tickets for anywhere in the continental US, as well as vouchers for lunch and dinner. All of us decided to take it, so we’re spending 14 hours in the airport today, plus 6 on the plane and in the car from Milwaukee to Madison.

Dan and I plan to use the tickets to visit his brother Josh in the Seattle area.  All I can say is, this better be a good trip to Washington! 🙂

I decided not to blog my eats today, but I am adding a new page to my blog:  my training page! I’ve put together my training plan for the next six weeks.  It is very ambitious, but I think I can do it!  Here’s a screen shot of Week 1, starting tomorrow:

Don’t worry, I’m working on figuring out how to make this easier for you to see!  The calendar is color-coded as follows:

• Red: Classes, SWE, work, and other things that I need to schedule my training around
• Yellow: Pilates
• Blue: Strength Training
• Green: Running
• Purple: Cross-training (usually bicycling)

I have put together a few strength training workouts, with the help of Jessica over at How Sweet It Is (thanks, Jessica!). Here’s my plan:

• Push-ups every day for 63 days, as many as I can do! They say it takes 21 days to pick up a habit, so doing this for 63 days (3x as long!), should do the trick to tone up my upper body.

• Pilates 2-3 times a week

• Additional strength training 2-3 times a week for the next 9 weeks, using a combination of the following:

Lunges

Side lunges

Squats

Plie squats

Bent over rows

Bicep curls

Tricep dips or kickbacks

Overhead triceps extensions

Chest presses

Chest flies

Overhead presses

Side raises

Front raises

I hate to put together a strict routine, because I know my muscles will get used to the exercises and it won’t be as effective.  For each strength training session, I’ll post what my actual routine was that day.

I may even post before and after pictures at some point… we’ll see! 🙂

These next 9 weeks shall be Project Strength. Anyone want to join me?

Keep coming back to see my results!

Guest Post: Top 10 Fitness Tips

Good morning, everyone!  I am so glad to have Jessica guest blogging for me today!  I recently started following Jessica’s blog, and I’ll be trying some weight training based on her tips soon.  Here she lists her top 10 fitness tips:  read on!

What’s up savvy eaters?

I’m Jessica from How Sweet It Is. My blog primarily focuses on the sweet treats I love to bake, and you won’t find me using any of the ‘fake’ stuff in those goodies. I am a firm believer in eating in moderation and eating what you love.

I have some extremely sweet teeth and have never, ever been skinny, thin, or any form of those words. My passion for cardio exercise arrived at the young age of 13 after watching my dad work out in our basement for years. About 3 years later I incorporated weights into my routine and completely ‘reshaped’ my body as my mom likes to say. The passion never died and I can proudly say I have consistently exercised for almost 15 years.

Coupling that passion with my desire to help people feel good, I became a group fitness instructor 8 years ago and a certified personal trainer 5 years ago. I have trained over 200 clients and helped them lose 10, 50, and even over 120 pounds – some of which you can see detailed on my blog.

I believe a great trainer can adapt to train anyone – here are my top 10 fitness tips!

10. Work it, girls! (…and guys) Many women are afraid to strength train for the fear that they will become ‘bulky.’ Most are not aware of the fact that the more muscle you own, the more calories your body can burn at rest. It is also impossible to ‘bulk’ up without a surplus of calories. So put on your big girl pants and hit those weights 2-3 times a week.

9. Work it properly! Once you’re in the gym, put your big muscles to good use. Focus on your largest muscle groups and perform compound movements such as squats, lunges, presses, and rows that work more than just one muscle group. To train effectively and efficiently, steer clear of one-limb movements like single arm triceps kickbacks and single arm biceps curls. Save those exercises for the end of your workout or perform them sparingly.

8. Eat up. Protein, that is. This macronutrient will not only help build and retain muscle mass, it will help to keep you fuller, longer. It also works to stabilize blood sugar when paired with a carbohydrate. Your body utilizes protein for maintenance and energy, and should be an essential part of any diet. Protein can be found in meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, beans, tofu and a wide variety of protein powders. Eat up!

7. Be consistent. In order to see successful weight loss in a timely manner, you MUST be consistent with your daily intake and exercise. 3 days on an insanely strict diet, then 3 days eating garbage and being lazy will not give you the results you desire. Make it a lifestyle change – that you can follow.

6. Do what you love. In order to stay consistent, you must love what you do. Find a form of exercise that keeps you interested, excited and yearning for me. There will always be moments when we don’t feel like exercising, but remember how great you feel afterwards! Find a form of cardio exercise that you enjoy, as well as strength training. It could be hiking, yoga or dance – find something you love – not what everyone else talks about.

5. Make every hour happy hour. No – not that way, though how fun would that be?? Water quenches our thirst and keeps us hydrated so we don’t confuse thirst with hunger. It also improves our skin, internal functions and keeps us alert. Set a goal to drink a little more water each day, or replace one of your daily caffeinated beverages with water. Flavor with fresh fruit or veggies!

4. Feel sexy clothed. Work out in clothes that make you confident, and you can be sure to get a better workout. I love to work out in bright, comfortable clothes that make me feel good. My drawers overflow!

3. Eat smart during the week. For most of us, the party happens on the weekend, right? I know for me once Friday rolls around, I am ready for some treats and a nice water-free happy hour. I’d rather have a nice dinner out with the hubs and order dessert on Saturday night than waste my calories on daily donuts at work. Cheap chocolate and store bought desserts will always be there – your grandma’s homemade peanut butter fudge pie won’t be.

2. Don’t blow the weekend! How many of you feel that once Friday hits, it’s a free-for-all? Weekend calories don’t matter, right? Thursday is usually the day that most of my clients would begin to stray from their healthy habits. Stop rewarding yourself with food and treat your body with love every day. Poor eating habits on the weekends do add up. 3 days out of the week, about 12 days out of a 31-day month – that equals roughly five months out of the year!

1. Tune out the media. Find the exercise that works for YOU, and do it! There is not just one right way to exercise. Something that worked for your sister may not work for you. 10 trainers may tell you 10 different things. Commit to a plan and stick with it for 6-8 weeks. If you have consistently stuck to the plan and have not seen changes, then switch a few things up – it may be exercise, nutrition or daily habits. Be honest with yourself. Make a lifestyle change for the better, and don’t feel the need to justify yourself to friends and family who don’t understand. Forget what your best friend is doing, what the radio is saying, and what The Biggest Loser does this week. Stick to YOUR plan, and you should see results.

Have a great weekend everyone. 🙂

What are YOUR workout tips?

I Miss My Kitchen!

Run, Run, Run!

Good evening, everyone!  Since there was nothing on the conference schedule until lunch, I woke up to eat an energy bar and drink some water, then went for nice run!

Distance: 4.95 miles

Time: Appx 54 minutes (Seriously, a Garmin would be awesome!)

If I can run 5 miles, I can run 9.3 miles in a week, right?  🙂  I only had time for the rest of my Apple Cherry Pomegranate Juice from the Farmer’s Market, then it was time to shower, get ready, and go to the Conference!

SWE Conference, Day 2

Don’t we all look nice?

I was impressed by all the fresh veggies and HUMMUS at lunch!  I didn’t feel like the vegetarian pizza, because there was no way it was going to measure up to yesterday’s pear and gorgonzola pizza, so I went with a cheese sandwich (aka, a turkey sandwich with the turkey removed… no veggie sandwiches available!)

Big pile of fresh carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and jicama with hummus.

Veggies, with my sandwich (still with turkey–I removed it right after this picture!), and dessert…

A baby brownie and baby chocolate cookie.  Yum!

And lots of water, because I’m not used to running in this heat and humidity!

The sandwich was relatively dry, but I was very impressed by the veggies and hummus.

After lunch, a few of us went to a great workshop called “Trendy Stress?!” I’ll be doing a post on the topic soon, because we got some great tips!  We had a meeting for everyone from Region H (all members from Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan), then went out for dinner at P.F. Chang’s.

I got the Coconut Curry Vegetables, with brown rice (rice unpictured). The tofu was pretty good, and the sauce was decent, but overall the meal isn’t one I think I would order again.  But I did get some protein, grains and veggies in the meal!

Kelley wanted some ice cream to soothe her sore throat, so we stopped at Coldstone on the way back to the hotel.  I was hungry, but not feeling ice cream, so I was pleased to see that they now have Tart Frozen Yogurt!  Check out these nutritional stats for the Like It size:

Calories: 140

Fat: 0 g

Sugar: 24 g

Protein: 3 g

A little low on protein and high in sugar, but as far as frozen desserts go, it isn’t half bad!

I had it mixed with strawberries and bananas. Yum!  And now, my stomach is no longer growling.  However, my later snack of toffee peanuts may have also contributed to this.  🙂

Giveaway!

Megan at Runner’s Kitchen is having an awesome Chobani Giveaway.  Chobani is by far my favorite Greek yogurt, so you should go check it out!

Home

I am having an excellent time at the conference, and loved hanging out with Kari earlier this week, but I have to say I am really looking forward to getting home.  I desperately want my kitchen back — both so I have total control over what I eat, and so I can stop spending money on eating out!  Plus, I haven’t seen Dan since we made the move official, and I want to have a celebratory dinner while we look for apartments!

Question

Would you be interested in an occasional wedding update on my blog?

Welcome to Long Beach, CA

Hello, readers!  Sorry for the delay, there were job applications to be completed, and long drives to make!

Yesterday: Beverly Hills

There was no big agenda yesterday, so Kari and I just took our time in the morning.

After eating an energy bar, we made a quick trip to her gym:

Elliptical

Time: 35 minutes

We had been hoping to run outside, but it was very windy and a little rainy, so we stuck to the gym.

More fro-yo was consumed:

Pumpkin Pie and Pistachio Fro-Yo mixed together, with nuts, strawberries, and a little Butterfinger on top!

Later, I had lunch and watched the Office (Kari has been getting me hooked.  As if there weren’t enough shows I watched on Thursdays already. 🙂 ) while Kari met for a group project:

Apple Cherry Pomegranate Juice from the Farmer’s Market.

Check out that ingredients list!

And a big salad. Lots and lots of veggies, with a few little samplings of pasta salad.

We decided we needed to explore some more of the LA-area, so we decided to drive through Beverly Hills to see some of the fancy houses.  I messed around with my camera while I waited for Kari to get ready:

We decided to walk around a bit in Beverly Hills, near Rodeo Drive.  We had to stop by the famous Crumbs:

My Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake. Yum!!

I had to try a bite then and there.  I saved the rest for later… After Kari got yet another fro-yo ( 🙂 ), we drove to the Sunset Strip for dinner:

My yummy ham and swiss crepe. So good!

And more fro-yo, naturally.  This time, I got original tart with kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, coconut, and a few white chocolate chips. Yum!  Though I think after this week I’m good on frozen dairy products for awhile. 🙂

We ended the night with some more Office and relaxing.

Today:  Moving to Long Beach

This afternoon, I left Kari (sad 😦 ) to go to Long Beach for the Society of Women Engineers National Conference.  I am, however, very excited to see all the SWE people, and the Conference is always fun!

I haven’t been taking pictures of my food today (bad blogger!), so I’ll start with food recaps again tomorrow, okay?  I think I need to have my thyroid checked again, because I have been exhausted for nearly 3 weeks now, regardless of how much sleep I get.  Luckily, I have an appointment scheduled for two days after I get back.

Additionally, I think I will be making a big announcement later this week about where Dan and I are moving after graduation…stay tuned!

I’m working on our Save the Dates this week, too.  Should I post about it on my blog?  Leave me your feedback!!

Follow Me on Twitter!

I finally gave in a few weeks ago and joined Twitter.  I didn’t post it on the blog initially, because I wanted to see how I liked it first.  Its been going well, though, so… follow me, savvyeat, here!

My Official Time is….

31:14, or a 10:04 average pace!! That is a full 2 minutes, 5 seconds faster than my first 5K.  Yay!  🙂

Breakfast today consisted of a quick green monster:

(Repeat picture; the light burnt out in our kitchen!)

I’ve been at Starbucks for almost 3 hours now, studying for my exams this week.  This blog post is my break between studying and classes. 🙂

While at Starbucks, I enjoyed an Awake tea latte (tall) with soy milk and pumpkin spice syrup. If you haven’t tried this combo yet, go. try. it. now.  Amazing!

I also had

Carrots and the last of my green beans ( 😦 ) with hummus and baba ganoush.

And a whole wheat tortilla with almond butter, pumpkin butter, and apple slices. There is no picture today, folks, because the wrap may or may not have gotten completely smashed in my bag.  So while it was delicious, it was messy and looked quite gross.  Next time, I’m protecting it better!

Hopefully, I will have time to put together a half-marathon training plan for myself.  Meghann gave me some great advice on where to look.  Does anyone else out there have recommendations for putting together a training plan?