Use It Up Sunday

I hate throwing food away, so I try to cook up anything I have left on the weekend before the food goes bad.  It is usually fruit and vegetables that are on the brink of spoiling.  I had a lemon and orange that were in desperate need of saving.  I also had a tiny bit of milk, tons of peppers, and carrots.

I decided to make a lemon loaf and a huge stir fry with an orange sauce using Nectresse as a sweetener instead of sugar.  I haven't tried it in actual food since receiving it from Influenster.

Lemon Loaf

1/2c. vegetable shortening, melted
1c. sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2c. applesauce
1 1/2c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp/ salt
1/2 c. milk (I used unsweetened almond)
1/3c. lemon juice
1/4c. sugar

Preheat the oven to 325.  Melt shortening and combine with the sugar, mixing thoroughly.  Mix in the lemon juice and the applesauce until combined well.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until blended.  Add the milk last.  The mixture is a bit stiff.   Empty into a greased loaf pan.   Cook for 60 minutes or until a toothpick is clean when inserted (I had mine in for 70 min).  Poke holes all around the bread and over the top.  Mix together the rest of the lemon juice and sugar.  Pour over the top and enjoy!

Quick, Delicious Rice

2c. rice
4 vegetable bouillon cubes
5c. water.

Put all of the ingredients into the rice cooker and set to cook.  The rice should be finished when switch flips to keep warm.  If not, add more water and set rice cooker back to cook.  Keep doing this until rice is to desired texture.

Stir Fry with Orange Sauce

2 Tbsp. EVOO
1 onion, diced
3 green peppers, slice thin
1 yellow pepper, sliced thin
1 orange pepper, sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced thin
2c. broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2c. mushrooms, cut small
2c. baby carrots, cut into thirds
1c. zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:
1 orange
water
1 Tbsp. Lite soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 packets Nectresse
2 Tbsp corn starch

Heat a large pan over medium heat.  Add the EVOO and onion.  Cook onion until transparent.  Add the carrots and peppers first.  Cover and cook for about ten minutes.  Add the rest of the vegetables.  Cover and cook for about ten more minutes or until tender.
While the vegetables are cooking, mix together the sauce ingredients.  I used the juice from one orange and squeezed it into a 1c. measuring cup.  Then, I filled the rest with water.  Dump it into a small bowl and add the other ingredients (Lite soy sauce, ground ginger, Nectresse, corn starch).  Mix until blended together.  Pour sauce over vegetables.  Raise heat to high to allow sauce to boil.  Lower heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring vegetables in order to coat them in the sauce mixture.  The sauce will thicken.  Serve over rice.

It is the best stir fry I ever made!  I really like this sauce.  Kevin even liked it.  Of course, I didn't tell him it had orange juice in it.  He is like my cat and has a strong aversion to oranges.

Did you make anything this weekend?

Carry On and Brooks Pure Connect 2

I am totally obsessed with the song Carry On by Fun.  I even downloaded it from iTunes, which I rarely do.  I think it is going to be an awesome song to finish races to.  It's very uplifting.

If you haven't heard it yet, check it out.

I got my new running shoes today.  I have been stalking FedEx with my tracking number all week.  They came at about 9 this morning!  I was so excited, because that meant I could wear them on my run today.  I mean, what could be a better idea than wearing a new pair and style of shoes on a 7 mile run?  What could possibly go wrong?

New shoes from Brooks

I walked around in them a bit and they felt fine.  I really have never had trouble with new shoes as far as blisters or rubbing go, so I figured I'd be fine.  I left to meet Becky and as soon as we started running, the shoes felt WEIRD!  I had to make sure I was running on the inside of my foot.  The first couple of miles my calves and shins felt tight when we would stop.  Halfway through, we stopped and my knees were killing me!  I was like, "I'm an idiot! What am I supposed to do?"  But, it went away when we started running and I didn't have any more pain the rest of the run.  Overall, I really like the shoes and can't wait to use them again!  They are the Brooks Pure Connect 2.

View halfway through of Lake Michigan.

We took it easy on the run.  There was no reason to go fast and neither of us had really ran much during the week.  The wind was against us all but the last mile and a half.

Spring temperatures are just around the corner!  I can't wait!

I'm going to spend the rest of the day updating my workout playlist.  There are so many great new songs out!

What's your favorite song right now?

Influenster Sugar 'n Spice Voxbox Review Part 1: Nectresse and BelVita

I belong to the site Influenster.



This entitles me to be eligible to receive what they call Vox Boxes.  They are boxes of products that people sample and then write reviews on, giving their honest opinion.  I was lucky enough to be chosen for a box.  I was SO excited.  I love free stuff.

So, I am going to review the products they sent me.  The products were free to me, but the opinions are my own.
Eggy was just as excited as I was when the package arrived.

He was more excited when I emptied the box so he could sit in it.

Here is everything I got.

I received:
Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture
Nectresse
Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes
Colate Optic White Regimen: Toothpaste, toothbrush, and mouthwash
belVita Breakfast Biscuits

I used to use Sweet n Low in my coffee, but I knew how bad it was.  So, I switched to straight sugar.  I was interested to see how Nectresse tasted, since it's made by Splenda.  It is described as being "primarily from monk fruit with other natural sweeteners."

I tried it first in my coffee.  I figured if it was awful, the coffee would cushion the blow a bit.

It tasted like regular sugar, but it has a bit of a sweet after taste.  Sweeter than sugar would be, but not like other artificial sweeteners I've used.  I would say it has a more natural flavor.

There was a booklet about Nectresse and some different recipes to try it out on.  I wanted to check it out, so I made a recipe for cinnamon hot chocolate.  It was quick and easy.

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
1.5 c. hot milk
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
2 packets Nectresse
1/8 cinnamon

Stir all ingredients together until chocolate chips melt.  Pour into two mugs and serve warm.
*I reheated the mugs after they were all stirred together to melt the chocolate chips more.  I think this would turn out better if made on the stove, but then it wouldn't have the convenience of the microwave.

Overall, I like the Nectresse.  It has zero calories and I really can't tell the difference between that and sugar.  I wouldn't use it in baking items such as cookies or cakes, etc.  I will continue to use it in my tea and coffee and I will probably make this hot chocolate recipe again.  I thought it was pretty good.

Another food item I was given to review was the belVita breakfast biscuits. They come four to one pack and that is considered a serving.  I had the flavor cinnamon brown sugar.  There's only 230 calories in it.  It was very filling.  I think the four individual cookie biscuits gives the illusion that you are eating more.  I could eat the biscuit and a piece of fruit for breakfast and be full until lunch.  It's also a great snack to munch on the whole day.  I would feel full, know how many calories I'm eating, and feel satisfied and not deprived.

The first bite I took, reminded me of the windmill almond cookies that my grandparents had when I was a kid, but better.  They were crisp, but melted in my mouth.  I ate one and was going to save the others, but I came back a few minutes later and finished them off.

The other products I will have to use a while to see how I like them.  I am interested to see if the Colgate Optic White regimen works since I am an avid coffee drinker.

Want free stuff too? Check out Influenster.

Influenster

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, but the opinions are my own"

Everyday is My St. Patrick's Day

I opened all weekend at work and committed to run with Becky Sunday after work.  I know I wouldn't have gone otherwise.  We only had to do 5 miles, but it has been a long, long time since I've gone that far.

It was St. Patrick's Day, so of course I had to wear my favorite color, GREEN!

And, yes, I wore my hair down. Long hair, don't care.

I really didn't dress as warm as I should have.  I knew it was only 30 out, but for some reason I thought it was warmer.  I have my mind set on Spring.

The run was a good one.  It was windy most of the way, but I felt good.  Maybe it was from the cup of black tea I drank before I left.  It must have given me an extra kick after being up since 4 a.m.

I didn't look at my watch except to see how far we were, so I had no idea we had been going at that pace.  I mean, maybe Becky mentioned that we were going a little fast, but besides that...lol.  I'm happy with the splits and it felt good to go out for longer than 3 miles for once.

After I took a scalding hot shower and drank some hot tea, I realized that I was exhausted.  So, like any responsible adult, I had guacamole and tortilla chips for supper and went straight to bed.

On another note, Becky has me drinking classy coffee now.  I can tell the difference.  I only need one cup of the fancy stuff as opposed to a whole pot of the cheap stuff.  Here's my new favorite.

I got it from Target.  I like their Archer Farms brand of pretty much everything.  They make a salsa that I practically eat by the jar.

As I was shopping today, I came across this Chardonnay.

I don't like Chardonnay and I didn't see this brand in any other types of wine.  I totally would have bought it.  I'm the middle sister of two brothers and I am a definite smarty pants.

Happy Monday!

What are your workout plans?  Today is a rest day for me.

Baking Extravaganza!

I had my alarm set for 5:30 a.m. so I could get up and go to 7 a.m. spin class.  Yeah, didn't happen.  Sleep always wins over exercise.  I even went to bed at about 10, because it was daylight savings i.e. worst day of the year.

I knew I wanted to get some kind of activity in today.  I decided that my punishment for skipping spin would be to sit on the stationary bike for an hour.  I did it in the cardio cinema and watched the last hour of True Grit.  My butt was totally asleep by the end and I was glad to see that my legs were sore when I got up.

I wanted to go swim too, but when I peeked in the pool there were a bunch of kids swimming with their parents.  I will try again tomorrow after spin class.

I was super bored today.  The weather has been dreary and it's been raining almost all day.  So, I decided to bake to cheer myself up.  You remember that I have a dangerous amount of bananas?  Well, the baggies next to the bananas are filled with shredded zucchini.  So, I spent a very long time searching for recipes involving bananas, zucchini, and crushed pineapple, since I also have a can of that.  Here what I came up with.

Banana Cake
This is from about.com.  It came out pretty good.  I just had to bake mine for an hour.

Ingredients 
2c. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1c. Sugar
1/4 c. oil
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl mash the bananas and add the sugar, oil, water, and vanilla. Mix until combined.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet little by little.  Combine them until just wet.  Be careful not to over mix.  Pour the mix into a greased 9x9 pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes (I had to keep mine in for 60).
Nutrition Info: 10 servings (can easily make pieces smaller), cals: 260, Fat: 6, Carbs: 50, Fiber: 2, Protein, 3


Coconut Pineapple Banana Bread
from Joy the Baker
This recipe is very straight forward, quick, and easy.

3 ripe bananas
1/4 c. crushed pineapple, drained (I added 2 more Tbsps with juice)
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar plus 2 Tbsps.
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground allspice
1/2 c. sweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.  Mash banana.  Add the pineapple, oil, and sugar.
In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and allspice.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet until blended together.  Add the coconut last.  Mix until evenly combined.  Pour into a  greased bread pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.  (I baked for 50 min).
Nutrition Info: 12 servings, Cals: 201, Fat: 6, Carbs: 35.7, Fiber: 1.5, Protein: 2.6

Last bread I made today is a Zucchini, Pineapple, Banana Bread.
I couldn't find a recipe that suited me, so I just threw together some stuff based on the recipes I've seen and just guestimated the amounts that would work together.  This recipe makes two bread pans.

Ingredients
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sugar
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 c. shredded pineapple
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.  Mash the bananas first in a large mixing bowl.  Then add the oil, vanilla, sugar, zucchini, and pineapple and mix until blended together.  In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and blend together until combined.  Add half the mix to a greased bread pan and the other half to another greased bread pan.  Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the middle clean.
Nutrition Info: 24 servings, Cals: 161, Fat 5, Carbs: 28, Fiber: 1.3, Protein: 2

Notes
*I mixed all of the breads with a wooden spoon.  An electric hand mixer would probably over mix the batter.
*I now am down to 4 bananas in my freezer.
*The last bread that I made up the recipe for ended up being my favorite.

Blarney 5k Race Recap

I woke up this morning at 7 a.m. and got up right away to make my coffee.  I had to fight Eggy for it.

 I kept looking outside to check the weather, because we were supposed to get some rain today.  It held off and was in the mid 30's and windy.  I was worried I would be cold.  I wore some running tights, knee high St. Patrick's day socks, a long sleeve tech shirt, a short sleeve tech shirt over it, and my running skirt.  I brought an extra long sleeve shirt and wore my jacket until we got to the race.

I also had a green bow and green ribbon-rubber band with a shamrock on it.

Becky drove.  We got there at 11 a.m. and the race started at 11:30.  We used the bathroom and picked up our race packets.  We brought the stuff to the car and grabbed our watches and ipods.  We walked up just in time.  They were singing the national anthem already!

The start was fun since it is all downhill.  I looked at my watch once and I was under a 10:00 min/mile pace which is super fast for me, especially at the start of a race!  Becky is good at keeping a steady pace and we stuck together for the first couple of miles.

At 2.5 miles I started getting a sharp pain in my side.  I didn't know if I didn't drink enough or drank too much, but OUCH!  I considered stopping to walk, but tried to tough it out.  Becky had moved ahead of me by now. I was just focusing on my breathing and trying to stay focused.  I was almost finished and told myself if I walked, I would regret it afterwards.

The pain went away after what seemed like an eternity, but was probably not even five minutes. It was just in time to climb up the hill for the last .1 miles.  This hill gets me every time!  I got passed by a guy pushing a stroller who yelled out, "It's just a hill!"  It was enough to push me a bit faster to the finish line.

After I crossed, I really felt like I was going to throw up.  I couldn't talk and just kept on walking to lower my heart rate.  I grabbed two cups of water, but it was too cold to drink.  My throat and chest hurt and I really wanted something warm.

After the feeling of nausea passed, I sipped some of the water.  Becky and I walked up to the building with the post race snacks.  I got some nice, room temperature water, an apple, half an orange, and half a banana.  I also got a headband that covers my ears up with a bank logo on it.  It came in handy, since it was really windy out and my clothes were sweaty.

Dry Heaves

I PR'd the race with a 34:32.  The official race times haven't been posted, but I'm just using my Garmin time.  It's my official 5k PR time.  I have an unofficial time of 33: 52 from some training run I did outside.  There's always next year!

Here's my splits!

It was a great race and I know I pushed myself as hard as I could - hence the feeling of throwing up at the end.  I can't wait until next year to celebrate my Runniversary!

Are you doing a St. Patrick's Day race?

4 Year Runniversary

Four years ago, I completed my first 5k.  I trained using the C25K and was so nervous!  It was really tough and took almost an hour, but I finished!  Now, my Runniversary is upon me again and I'm headed to Wauwatosa to run the Blarney Run.  It may seem silly to drive an hour to run 3.1 miles, but it's a very important race to me. It's where my love of running began and led me to my other 5k's, 10k's, half marathons, and sprint triathlons.  And now, I will start training for my first marathon!  I never would have thought that I could or even would come this far, but it just shows that if you believe in yourself and don't give up, anything is possible!

Why do I run?  I have been asked this SO many times!

It's too easy to point out all of my flaws and short comings.  It would be easy for me to say, "I should be faster, thinner, better, more dedicated, etc."  I have said all of these things to myself.  I've been injured, taken a hiatus, wondered what the point to all of this is, but in the end, I have to realize I am doing it to make myself happy.  I feel cleansed after a run.  I can leave my problems and worries at home for an hour and totally detach from the world.  That is what keeps me coming back.

Here's some pictures from races past.  I wish I had some from every race!

Mt. Pleasant 5k April 2010 with my younger brother who did the half marathon.

Pleasant Prairie Triathlon June 2010

First Half with Laura Haunted Hustle 10/30/10

Run Into the New Year 10k 12/31/10 Day after my 30th bday

Blarney 5K 2011

Medals

Race Bibs

Pink is Irongirl 2010, green is Irongirl 2011

Run Into Spring 2012 in Chicago

WI Half Marathon 2012

Brewer Mini Marathon 9/22/12

Skeleton Skamper Half 2012

It's great to look back and see how far I've come.  I never thought I could be someone who runs, but I kept on going out and doing it, striving to get better.  I look forward to another great year of running! 

Happy Running!