My Tale of Two Cities

Why I decided to join Weight Watchers

2012-01-30T17:41:00.011-05:00

For this being a blog that focuses quite often on healthy living, and my progress in that category, there's something about this I haven't shared with you all yet.

Let's start in the spring of 2011, during this time my body just felt really blah. When I was diagnosed with celiac in March, it helped with this feeling. I didn't feel as bloated, or agitated by certain foods, and I thought all my problems were solved with this. I wasn't as fatigued as I had often complained about, and thought all my problems with how my body was feeling would be solved.

WRONG.

With the madness of this summer and back and forth trips to DC, other work trips, packing up our condo and ultimately moving, my body still didn't feel right. Sure, I wasn't feeling awful like I did when I was eating gluten, but I wasn't feeling great. My clothes were not fitting well, my runs felt harder and more exhausting to complete, and I hated the way I was feeling, and the way I looked in certain outfits.

In September I went to the doctor and was weighted in just got 158 pounds, and I was in shock. Could I really be at that weight? What was I doing? I exercise, I eat right---or, did I?

I mean, of course I didn't eat great when I was moving, or when I lived in a hotel for two weeks, or before our kitchen was being unpacked, but I eat well otherwise, of course I do!

Denial is a powerful tool, and let me tell you, I was in denial about my habits. They weren't just that month in transition, it had taken months for me to get here. And as in denial as I was, the proof was staring back at me everyday in the mirror.

Now to be fair, I have to tell you, I'm not in the gifted and talented group when it comes to genetics as far as being able to eat what I want, and not have it show on my body. And if you are, I hate you, leave my blog immediately (I kid...sort of).

I have the same genetic make up that a few other members of my family were blessed --I mean cursed,with (I blame the German genes for this one) and age wasn't helping. You know in Big Daddy when Adam Sandler said that he used to be able to eat whatever he wanted, but as he got older if he ate a milk shake his ass would then jiggle for a week? Yeah, that.

When Ben and I got married in June 2010, I was fluctuating between 140 pounds, and 143, it was a very happy weight for me, so seeing this 158 (and sometimes plus) killed me. I was especially upset when I saw that this puts me in the "overweight" BMI area for my height of 5'6". I knew I had to do something.

So, I started tracking my food again like I did before our wedding, it was eye opening, I really wasn't making that great of choices. I splurged too often on "treats," and was eating A LOT. I always had the justification, if it's good for you, it's OK to eat a lot of, right? WRONG AGAIN.

By Thanksgiving I had lost two pounds and was sitting steady at 156 pounds. During the holidays I did my best not splurge, but lost interest in tracking my food (I was using My Fitness Pal App on my iPhone) and decided that if I wanted to make a change I HAD to do it now, I couldn't go down this slippery slope of being content with having a few extra pounds.

So, on the day after Christmas, I joined Weight Watchers online, and from the moment I started, it's proved as a great tool. As of last Friday, my last weigh in day, I was down to 151 pounds, five pounds lost in 31 days. My clothes feel good, my runs feel great (when you're lugging around less weight, it really does make a difference), and my body feels better when I'm feeding it better choices.

I don't know how I forget this when I'm making poor choices, but it's so true to say,

Fit and Healthy feels better than anything can taste.

Weight Watchers online does take some work, but it's not super hard. I can easily enter recipes and determine points, and I love the way the points plus program encourages me to eat more real food like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.

Do I still splurge? Heck yes, I have to live. This weekend I had the most delectable Red Velvet cupcake from Sprinkles in Georgetown (they put a DOME of frosting on cupcakes there, for a sugar freak like me, it's heaven). The difference between now and then is, that's a once a week splurge, not a three or four times a week splurge.

The points tracking has made me realize the times I eat out of habit, not hunger (dessert after dinner each night especially) and how a few extra bites each day can lead to extra pounds over a few months, and that with patience and persistence, you can get back to a healthier place.

This experience has also proved to me that because I drew the short straw for not so naturally skinny genetics, that this has to be a life long process. I can't let my guard down, and I have to be OK with that. As much as it sometimes feels so unfair sometimes to not be able to eat sugar and french fries whenever the craving comes my way, things could be a lot worse in life.

I'm signed up for Weight Watchers through March 26, and I plan to continue it another three months after that for continued accountability.

For my five pound reward, I got a massage last Friday, and my next reward will be when I hit 145, eleven pounds lost, and I'll let myself FINALLY get a pair of Wunder Unders from Lululemon!

These pants are super comfortable and have been said to make your legs and rear look great. hey, at 145 pounds, plus the cost of these pants, my ass better look dynamite!

I can't promise updates all the time, but I'll keep you updated on my progress as I reach these milestones, my ultimate goal--138!

Houston Adventure

2012-01-23T16:11:00.017-05:00

The last few weeks have a been a whirlwind in my life. The holidays came and went, January started with great weather, then fell into an icy mess this weekend.

Over MLK weekend, Ben and I visited Houston, Texas where he lived before he and I met. It was my first time in Texas, and his first time back since leaving there in the fall of 2006.

Ben enjoyed his favorite thing about Texas...

Tex Mex!

Ben loves the restaurant Pappasitos there, and I have to admit, it was great, and they did Gluten Free well. Another great gluten free restaurant in Houston was Goode Company Barbecue. Both restaurants let you try the native flavor of the area, without having to worry about getting glutenized.

And I enjoyed my favorite frozen yogurt shop ever...

Yogurtland!

There was a Yogurtland right next to our hotel in Maui on our honeymoon, and I literally went there everyday. Not the healthiest, but it was our honeymoon, so I lived large. Now, I don't let myself have self-serve frozen yogurt too often, (although my favorite treat here is getting it from Josie's) because I find it hard to control myself with the toppings, even if I get a small dish. We don't have Yogurtland in Virginia, so I let myself go NUTS at this, and boy, was it worth it!

I also got to experience that everything really IS bigger in Texas. For example:

Because those mini flags on a car aren't enough apparently

We had a great time in Houston, staying with Ben's friends Heather and Tom and their daughter Emma. Ben hit up some of his favorite places to hang out (and most did involve more Tex Mex!) and I got to see some real Texas Two-Stepping when we were out on Saturday night. I was totally impressed by the way men there lead women across the dance floor, and were into the dancing, rather than just swaying back and forth reluctantly like middle school boys.

Our last night in town we stayed at the Westin Galleria. I looove Westin's (as you can tell from my last trip to Minneapolis when I stayed there as well), and highly recommend this location also for it's central location, and being connected to the Galleria Mall.

Now, I'm completely focused on training for my half-marathon, I ran this weekend on ice and slush, with a light snow falling, and my legs have ached every since from gripping my toes trying not to slip for most of the run.

This week, my plan is to rest today, and hopefully get in the pool, do some strength training and some speed training Wednesday night. Wish me luck!

Weekend Meal Planning

2012-01-08T16:10:00.007-05:00

Hola friends! What a great weekend it has been. Yesterday, it was close to 60 degrees, and I started the day off right, heading out for a long run. I ran to the trail that's near our house. I thought it was two miles away, turns out, it was 2.75 miles away, oops!

Really, it didn't matter though, because I had such an amazing run! I planned to do between seven and eight miles for my half training and ended up doing nine miles. Partly because of my poor planning, and partly because I just couldn't turn around on the trail when I was planning to, I was just feeling too great! And even today, my hips are a bit tight, but I still feel great, and plan on strength training tonight, along with a short swim, to keep things hopefully on this upswing.

Post Run Happiness

I was wearing the Lululemon shirt that I had blogged about on my Christmas list. I bought it with a gift card Ben gave me for Christmas to Lululemon, and it worked great! If you can still find this shirt on any clearance racks (it was the last one on the clearance rack at the store near my house last week), I highly recommend it either for winter layers or spring/fall weather days like yesterday.

I also found the perfect new thing to listen to during my run, How I Met Your Mother Podcasts with the cast. They are great! Highly recommend them if you love that show.

Planning my meals for the week, I had to share with you all the great recipes I have planned. Ben and I did a major grocery run today, and I'm going to make a couple of these today, so they're easy to pop in the microwave or oven for dinners this week.

Meals include:

Also, my winner for my Rudi's Giveaway never contacted me, so I picked a new one. That winner is...

Lindsey!

Lindsey, e-mail me at AlexaTaleof2Cities@gmail.com with your mailing address by Tuesday, January 10 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern to claim your prize!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T18:10:00.010-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and a great New Years!

Ben and I started Christmas Eve off by going to see his beloved Vikings take on the Redskins here in D.C.

Sunny Vikings Game

The Vikings won, but running back Adrian Peterson torn his ACL and damaged his MCL, putting a damper on celebrations.

In other news, my Packers are 15-1 going into the playoffs. =) hehehehe

I spent a few days last week in Minnesota and had a great time seeing so many friends, as it's the first time I've been back there (minus a connection at MSP in October) since we moved. My friend Cindy picked me up from the airport last Tuesday night and it seemed surreal, I was back! I felt a wave of anxiety and excitement as I realized I had roughly 72 hours to see so many people, and was about to get blasted by cold I hadn't felt in a long time (and it actually wasn't that bad!)

Jen was nice enough to let me stay at her place a couple of the nights I was there and let me use her car during the day while she worked.

The gracious hostess and I!

It was so nice to stay at her place, catch up with her make dinner (since I ate out most other meals) and see other girlfriends (like Jen H and of course Cindy who came over to laugh, eat and have fun with us).

By far the best part of my trip, was being able to run one of the Chain of Lakes. Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes and that is really the biggest thing I miss there. The lakes were beautiful and easy to run, always had clear paths, and of course I loved the friends I ran with. I ran the 2.75 miles of Lake of Isles with a few gals and loved every minute of it. The conversation flowed, my feet felt light, and breath felt wonderful even though I thought I would have a hard time running in 30ish degree temperatures for the first time since last winter. I wish I would have taken a picture, because that run reminded me again why I love running so much, and why I keep doing it.

I was able to meet up with other friends as well and some gluten free, and delicious restaurants in the area. There are definitely more gluten free choices here in the DC area, but the ones I've come to love in Minneapolis were great to revisit, including: Cooper, Pizza Luce, Bonfire, Bank, and Highland Grille.

Annette, Annie and I after enjoying a wonderful meal at Cooper

I spent one great night in the Westin in Downtown Minneapolis. If you're ever staying in the Twin Cities, I highly recommend this hotel. Great location with skyway connections, the Westin Heavenly Bed that feels like a sleeping on a pillow, great service, and Bank restaurant in the lobby that's delicious.

Huge and comfortable room at the Westin!

I also was able to see many college friends and met up with my parents at Mall of America for lunch and of course shopping one day!

Last but not least, the random winner of the Rudi's Swag Bag giveaway is...

Erin Slocum!

Erin, e-mail me your contact information to:AlexaTale2Cities@gmail.com

Gluten Free Holidays

2011-12-21T11:57:00.012-05:00

I'm about to go Celiac on your ass. That's right, this is a gluten-free filled post, but with some things, you non-celiac, but gluten-friendly readers may enjoy.

The holidays can be a tough time to be celiac. What do I eat at these Holiday parties? Are naturally gluten-free choices like cheese and veggies safe, or have they been cross contaminated? Christmas cookies? Yup, the indulgence most people try to avoid, I HAVE to avoid, and sit and drool over them wondering if I could ever make a gluten free alternative to my mom's famous cut out cookies that would taste half as delicious as her's.

So, that's why I have a few great things for you celiacs and gluten-free lovers in my life these holidays.

Last night, I had a great gluten free meal at Wildfire Restaurant with my friend Kristin. I had eaten at their Minnesota location before I was gluten free, and it was delicious, but was anxious to try their gluten free menu.

Because of being in a nice suburb, and near the Vikings practice facility, the Minnesota location is a well known Cougar Den (if you don't know what that means, check it out on Urban Dictionary), their Virginia location had a different feel, with a vibrant bar area filled with people of all ages and several work holiday outings happening, making for a busy Tuesday night.

I had heard from my friend Amy that their gluten free menu was delicious and diverse, and she was not kidding. I had a side Caesar salad and a gluten free pizza with crumbled sausage and caramelized onions. Delicious. They have great gluten free practices, assured me of them, and I can't wait to go back. Plus, with it being a steak house, I know my husband will really enjoy this gluten free friendly restaurant because there's plenty of meat and potatoes for him! I meant to take a picture of my pizza before I ate the leftovers for lunch today, but it smelled so good, I gobbled it up before I remembered!

For gluten free at home eating, I found a great, easy, and wasn't even trying to be gluten free, recipe from Mellissa at Fit and Spicy Life I have to share with you all, her Bean and Feta Salad. It's easy, clean food, filling and delicious. I highly suggest you check out this recipe, and her blog for other great similar recipes. I made this in under ten minutes, and it made a huge portion!

Bean and Feta Salad for lunch!

Another easy to make gluten free recipe I've come to love with soups and salads is this gluten free cornbread. It is easy, delicious and no one can tell it's gluten free when I serve it to them!

Now, one of my favorite gluten free brands, Rudi's, is offering you a special gluten free Holiday gift pack you could win.

This "swag bag"includes: A Rudi's bag, a t-shirt (and I have this t-shirt, it's super comfortable, and great for lounging in), a coupon for Rudi's goods, Gluten Free Recipes, post it notes, a sandwich box, and a bread clip!

Awesome Swag Bag!

There are a few ways you can enter (and leave a separate comment for each entry)

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite gluten free snack is
Tweet the following and tell me that you did: "@AlexaTC is giving away @RudisGlutenFree #glutenfree Holiday swag bag, check it out! http://tinyurl.com/7n7nq7b"
Link this give away on your blog, and leave a comment with a link to it
Leave a comment with a link to, or write out, a gluten free recipe

Rudi's is not paying me to endorse their brand, or do this giveaway, I am simply doing it because I love gluten free, great tasting, foods and want to share them.

The giveaway is open to enter until Friday, December 31, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The randomly chosen winner must contact me at: AlexaTale2Cities@gmail.com by 11:00 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, or a new winner will be drawn.

For the love of my blender

2011-12-13T18:23:00.005-05:00

Here I was rambling last week about the things I want for Christmas, and I forgot to mention the early Christmas gift I bought myself on Cyber Monday.

Yes!! THE Blender! It's magical really, it works so fast and well, and makes my cottage cheese pancakes even more delicious. I highly recommend this blender and am thankful Crate and Barrel had free shipping plus 15% off on Cyber Monday.

This past weekend, my bestest friend Ashley came to visit from Ann Arbor. I SO love when she and I visit each other. Our visits have definitly evolved from previous years. From wild nights of partying all night and shopping all day and spending all our money. To now, enjoying restaurants and movies while relaxing and shopping and only buying things we need--are we getting old or what?!

Cooper and Ashley spending quality time together

This weekend we did get some great Christmas shopping hitting up Leesburg Premium Outlets with my co-worker Christine as well. If you're in Northern Virginia, you MUST check these outlets out. They are the biggest ones I've ever been to, with a great selection, and although it's the height of the Holiday Season, they never felt packed.

We all made a great dent in our Christmas shopping, and I succeeded in buying nothing for myself. After I purchased the blender I decided I would not buy anything else for myself this month that wasn't a necessity. I really want to wait for Christmas for the fun surprises and try to save a little extra cash. It's December 13, and so far, so good!

This week, Ben and I need to finish up our Christmas shopping and get the items shipped out to our families in Idaho and Wisconsin. I'm dorky excited for our Friday night shopping date, eek!

I'm also going to try and dive into my friend Nina's French Macaroon Recipe, as I keep wanting to make them, but haven't yet, as much as I love to eat them. I absolutley cannot wait until I can sink my teeth into a French Macaroon from Cocoa and Fig when I am back in Minneapolis. If you live in the Twin Cities and haven't tried one of their macaroons, do it! Quick!

Christmas Wish List!

2011-12-06T17:46:00.013-05:00

Not going to lie, this year my Christmas wish list could be considered pretty boring. We don't need much more "stuff," and there are there some things I need, but don't want to spend money on. Things like: socks for work, Smart Wool Socks (if you don't know what these are, you MUST check them out here), a cold weather running headband and new Tupperware. I always ask for gift cards for places like Starbucks, Target or Whole Foods to help shave off other monthly expenses as well.

As far as things I've found I'd like just because, there are a few, of course. =)

The Help on Blu-Ray. Great book, great movie, love it!

Image Source

West Elm Square Lacquer Tray to add some Pizazz to our Coffee Table

A Pair of TOMS Shoes. They're cute, comfortable, and a good cause, as they donate a pair of shoes for everyone bought. There are so many different colors and patterns for them too!
Photo Source

This striped, reversible with thumb holes, running shirt from Lululemon. They have it in a ton of other cute colors in store too, besides this one. I love their stuff, I don't care how overpriced it is. It feels great to work out in, and looks good too. It's hard to justify buying it for myself though.

Tiered Shirt from Ann Taylor Loft. The Tiers hide my worst areas, and I love that. Plus, their stuff always fits me well, and runs big, so it makes me feel skinnier, who doesn't love that?!
Photo Source

What is on your Christmas list this year?

December is here

2011-12-01T11:34:00.007-05:00

December has arrived, and the Christmas season is in full force.

This past month has been a blur with work, weekend road trips, thanksgiving, visitors, etc.

Ben and I went to Philadelphia to see my friend Megan run the Philly Marathon. She lives in North Dakota now, and we were Journalism School classmates at the University of Minnesota. She's constantly entertaining, as you can see by her "Gladiator" outfit for the race.

Megan did great, per usual. I mean, she was flexing her muscles at Mile 19, how could she not do well?!

Ben and I also enjoyed some touristy time in Philadelphia, taking a double decker bus tour and Ben eating THREE cheesesteaks in 36 hours.

We also saw our great friends Abby and Josh who Ben worked with in Minneapolis.

SO great to see them! They showed us a good time with great eats and drinks.

We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving in DC, and I wish I would have taken a more pictures of the AWESOME food! Our hosts Kristin and Suni made sure nearly everything was gluten free, including stuffing, so great! The turkey there was out of this world, as was the cranberry sauce. We also got to spend some quality time with Ben's sister, brother-in-law and adorable niece, and had a great weekend relaxing.

Suni, very proud of his turkey--and he should be, it was delicious!

On Thanksgiving Day, Lynne and I hit up our Turkey Trot 5K as well, and had a great time catching up while running. The best part of the race? It was cheap, a nice route, had a nice cotton long sleeve shirt I'll actually wear again, and there were coupons for free coffee and donuts at Dunkin after the race (Ben and I hit that up for sure!)

This weekend, will be spent Christmas shopping, hitting up a few new restaurants and finally seeing The Muppets Movie!

Back on the Running Wagon

2011-11-16T19:54:00.010-05:00

Since I moved here, my running has been spotty, a few miles here, a few miles there. I had been training for the Twin Cities marathon and the Nike Women's Half Marathon in October, but due to lack of time to train during the move, and lack of time off to take from work having just started a new role, I had to defer on both races. I love to run, and had been really missing the miles I would put in.

Although, I had found a great running buddy in Lynne, who was training for the Marine Corp Marathon. She and I ran about once a week for a few miles and like with most running buddies, have become fast friends as we talk about anything and everything while the miles pass. She's now moving to North Carolina, but assures me she'll be back for races and runs frequently; I'll miss you Lynne!!

Anyway, after some hiatus, I did a few shorter distance races recently, including a five mile last month with my co-worker Christine in Chevy Chase. Her and I had a good time, despite some hills on the course.

Ok, we had a great time, at least when the race photographers caught us anyway

This past weekend, I ran a 10K in DC with my friend Kristin. Both races went well, felt good (despite the beginnings where I thought, "was this REALLY a good idea?") and have me jazzed up to keep running.

Kristin and I pre-race

Therefore, if you haven't looked to the right on my blog recently that shows what race I'm training for--check it out! I've signed up for the Rock and Roll National Half March 17th!! I am SO excited for this race. Lynne and Beth will also be running it, and my friend Katy from Denver (who I went to visit last January if you remember right) will be coming to run it as well.

I'm so excited to have this goal, as the last half I ran was the Fargo Half last May, and to enjoy the milder winter running weather out here.

I've also joined a distance running group to help hold me accountable, and to have a group to run so I won't be running alone in the dark on the shorter days.

Speaking of dark, I also invested in my first head lamp for this winter. The trails here aren't as well lit as the lakes in Minnesota, so I'll need the headlamp, even when running with the group.

Source

I'm also planning to do a small Turkey Trot 5K near our place for Thanksgiving this year, and can't wait!

What is your next race? Better yet, what's your next big goal, fitness related or not?

Easy, Mayo-less, Chicken Salad

2011-11-06T15:04:00.007-05:00

There are few foods I really dislike, the first and foremost one being bananas (as I've explained before, I can't even stand the smell of them), another is mayonnaise. That's one reason why I've never enjoyed chicken or tuna salads.

Then, Jen showed me how she makes a mayo-less chicken salad awhile back, and I have since created my own version of it. It's high protein, lower carb, and I think goes great with these Blue Diamond Nut Thin Crackers (I prefer the Almond ones, or hint of Sea Salt ones). I take it to work as part of my main dish for lunch, and it fills me up easily.

Source

The recipes for this chicken salad is this simple:

1 Small Can White Meat Chicken
1/2 can of black beans
Four wedges of Original or Blue Cheese Laughing Cow Cheese
Three teaspoons Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Original Flavor (I just give about five or six good shakes of it in the mixture)

And here's how the final product looks:

Granted, I added extra black beans into this particular one because I had more than half a can left, and didn't want them to go to waste. Also, I'm a lover off all things beans! I also love when eating gluten free can be this easy.

Below you'll find the nutrition facts, as figured out by Spark Recipes, on half of the above recipe.

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
2 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		206.4

Total Fat		8.8 g

	Saturated Fat	5.1 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g

Cholesterol		35.0 mg

Sodium		930.6 mg

Potassium		201.5 mg

Total Carbohydrate		15.5 g

	Dietary Fiber	4.9 g

	Sugars	2.0 g

Protein		14.5 g

Happy Halloween with Pumpkin Love

2011-10-31T09:35:00.017-04:00

Happy Halloween Friends! What a wonderful autumn it's been, besides unseasonably cold temperatures this week, I've been loving my first fall in the DC area. And honestly, the cold here doesn't phase me because of what I'm used to in Minnesota, it actually feels a bit refreshing (at times).

In typical fall fashion, I'm loving on pumpkin flavored anything. This fall I've fallen in love with Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice Coffee. It's just as delicious as a pumpkin spice latte, but cheaper and fewer calories. Mix it with a little skim milk, and you'll swear it's a latte.

You can get it at any Dunkin store on drip (man, I LOVE living near these now!) or I've found the beans sold in bags at Target stores. Of course it tastes better fresh from Dunkin, but it's still delicious in your home coffee maker, and so much cheaper per serving. Oh, and Dunkin says it's Gluten Free to boot, yay!

I'm also in love with Trader Joe's pumpkin butter, delicious! At 40 calories per tablespoon, it goes pretty far too, as you only need a little bit to add flavor. I've been smothering it on my Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes. I've also been adding a half carton of 0% Greek yogurt to this recipe to add a further protein punch, but be warned, if you do this, add a couple tablespoons of water too so the batter doesn't get too thick.

I also have a goal of making a gluten free version (basically subbing in gluten free graham crackers for the crust) of Eat, Live Run's Pumpkin Cheesecake bites. They look delicious!

I'm also going to try this Martha Stewart Pumpkin Pasta recipe, I think even Ben could like this one!

Although we didn't dress up this year, we dressed up Cooper of course (and by "we," I mean me, because Ben just sits and shakes his head at this).

The Little Devil

Cooper was supposed to be in a costume contest at a local park this weekend, but the weather was so bad (sleet, snow, ice) that I didn't take him. So, now he'll just get to show off his outfit for Trick or Treaters tonight.

This post is part of the "Boo in the Blogosphere" set up by Sellabitmum and Four Plus An Ange l. If you're in the spirit and want to show off your (or your kids, or your pet's costumes) hook up your Halloween posts as well!

Would you run a marathon nine months pregnant?

2011-10-11T10:12:00.004-04:00

So, to answer the question from the title of this post, let me tell you my answer straight off the bat, no, I would not run a marathon nine months pregnant. Why? Not because I think it's crazy, because I know I physically couldn't do it! I can barely run a marathon in my prime physical form.

Anyway, people are talking about this woman, Amber Miller, who ran/walked the Chicago marathon this past weekend at nine months pregnant, started contracting during the race, and gave birth later that day to a healthy child.

Amber Miller, post race and post baby birth

Source

Here is the Today Show's coverage on it, Matt Lauer ran his flapper during their morning show, and as a man who's never been pregnant, he should have just shut up. No one asks for journalists opinions, just the facts please!

Her doctor said she could run/walk it, to do half and half, and knew her exercise regimine, so I don't know what the big deal is?

What do you think? Was she putting she and her baby's health at risk? Would you ever run a marathon late in pregnancy if you could?

My "Green" Monster Smoothie

2011-10-03T20:45:00.006-04:00

A lot of health bloggers show their recipes for protein smoothies, specifically, green monsters, so I thought I'd show mine. It's not very "green" looking, but it gets the job done.

I combine together the following in a blender:

1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 scoop of whey protein
1 Cup of Trop 50 Orange Juice
A big handful of spinach (I would say it equals about 1.5-2 cups worth)

Turning it into the following delicious wonder:

Mmmmm!

According to Spark Recipes, the nutrition facts on this bad boy are the following:

Nutrition Facts
1 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories		230.4

Total Fat		1.7 g

	Saturated Fat	0.5 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g

Cholesterol		45.0 mg

Sodium		125.6 mg

Potassium		801.1 mg

Total Carbohydrate		37.6 g

	Dietary Fiber	10.0 g

	Sugars	21.2 g

Protein		19.3 g

So drink up and enjoy!

Now, I need to make this smoothie even better, by buying this blender from Crate and Barrel I've been dreaming about for oh, I don't know...two years!
I saw a demo of it's impeccable speeds at a wedding registry event there before Ben and I were married. I put it on our registry, and we never received it, and I've never been able to justify buying it, even though our blender takes about eight years to get something smooth. Maybe this new apartment is the perfect reason!

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe that's great for a hearty snack or post workout?

Weekend Update

2011-09-24T21:59:00.005-04:00

When was the last time I updated on a Saturday night? Not so sure, and don't judge me, I have a life!

Anyway, wanted to get out the winner of the Betty Crocker giveaway. Random.org helped me pick, and it came up with entry number two, so the winner is....

Cindy!

Cindy said,

"Can my sweet treat pleeeeease be Gummi Cubs? They are my go-to when I'm having a bad day."

Yes, that CAN be your sweet treat Cindy. =) Congratulations! E-mail me your mailing address by Monday night to: AlexaTaleof2Cities@gmail.com and My Blog Spark will get that great prize package sent your way.

Today Ben and I headed into DC and went to great restaurant called Matchbox that has a wonderful gluten free menu. I should have taken a picture of my pear walnut salad and bacon wrapped shrimp with cheesy grits, delicious!

We also went to the Newseum, as we're both huge news geeks, walked around Union Square, and then came back home to have our friend Kristin over for a nice dinner, what an awesome day!

Tomorrow, I'll finally be making that three bean chili I'd been dreaming of making when we got settled (we're almost there!) and trying out gluten free pumpkin and corn bread recipes. I'll let you all know how they go, and if they turn out well I'll post the recipes and pictures of the results (if they're a disaster I'll post pictures of results as well so I can at least have fun with my baking blunders).

Have a great rest of your weekend!

A Sweet Giveaway

2011-09-19T16:43:00.006-04:00

As much as this is a blog about healthy living, it's also about REAL life. And, I my friends, have a sweet tooth.

So, when MyBlogSpark told me I could be involved in a Molasses Cookie giveaway, I jumped at the chance.

Sure, I can't eat these cookies because of my celiac, but my taste tester (i.e. husband) can, plus I knew you guys would all love the giveaway!

Also, the cooking and baking swag is great as well. An awesome apron, baking spoon and cookie sheet, what's not to love?!

The fabulous prize pack!

I prefer to make baked goods from scratch, but I'm not opposed to mixes, as honestly, in most cases where I need to make things on weeknights, or on a tight schedule, mixes save me!

One person will win the fabulous prize pack shown above. And there are two ways you can win:

Leave a comment telling me your favorite sweet treat
Tweet about the giveaway, saying @AlexaTC is sponsoring at great @BettyCrocker Giveaway through #MyBlogSpark!Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/65kn4an

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway is open to enter until Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The randomly chosen winner must contact me at: AlexaTale2Cities@gmail.com by 11:00 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, September 26, or a new winner will be drawn.

Disclosure: The product, information and prize pack, was provided to me by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

Missoni Madness

2011-09-14T09:50:00.010-04:00

You may or may not have heard about it, the madness of the designer Missoni designing an affordable line for Target. Well, yesterday, it was released and with all the hype Target created around it, they weren't prepared for the traffic that came with it, and the backlash as well.

The line went on sale yesterday. If you don't know Missoni, it's a high end, zig zag pattern themed, fashion, that normally sells at prices those of us in the "Joe the Plumber" middle class can't fathom.

Target created such a huge ballyhoo around this line, discussing the limited number of items available, doing tons of marketing prior to it's release, and topping it all off with lots of buzz at Fashion Week.

So, when doors opened yesterday, people ran into stores, stripped the shelves, and within minutes, the selection was not just picked over, it was gone. And within the hour, hundreds of items were up on e-bay at quadruple the original Target price.

Even Target's newly designed website was crashing all day long, as people tried to grab the limited selection available there, and it made news throughout the nation.

As my German born co-worker said in response to this yesterday, "what is it with you Americans and your obsession with getting more stuff?" I'm not sure...but I totally feed into it, I know that much.

I had been wanting the sweater coat pictured below since I saw it on an ad last week for several reasons.

I live in an area now where fall is much longer, and this is a great fall layering piece
It's versatile enough to wear with lots of things
It covers my butt

Source

I was lucky enough that the Target website was working during my lunch hour, and I scooped one up.

Tracy at Sellabit Mum discussed her own quest yesterday find her perfect blue sweater, unfortunately, she hasn't been as lucky (she never did, so if you see it, grab it up, shoot her an e-mail and I guarantee she'll pay you back!)

So, the line is great, great job Target. The preparedness around it not, so much, and let me tell you, when I was sent this picture from a display promoting it at the Target store in downtown Minneapolis today by a friend, I had to think again, "what was Target thinking?!"

That's just creepy.

The First Things I Want to Do

2011-09-07T09:22:00.004-04:00

For the past three+ weeks I've been living in limbo, I lived in a hotel, now Ben and I are staying with our wonderful and generous friend Glen until our furniture arrives. During this time, I've craved things about home that you often take for granted when you have a stable home. I know Jen has felt similar things with her home being under construction as it's repaired from tornado damage this spring.

Our furniture should arrive this weekend, and then we can feel more at home about things. Right now our apartment has bathrooms that are all set up, clothes partly put away, and kitchen appliances to use (but no plates, pots, pans, etc. to make anything). Therefore, we've been doing some stuff at our place, picking up clothes, taking showers, etc, but doing most of our "living" at Glen's.

So, in no particular order, here are first things I want to do when we get settled in our new apartment:

Make a huge crock pot of Three Bean Chili
Buy a new blender to make smoothies and cottage cheese pancakes
Sleep in with no alarm
Decorate our place!

There are so many others, but just had to share a few. Anybody have any cute decorating ideas for our new place or any home accessories they've seen and liked lately? I'm so home project challenged, I'd love to hear them!

Live from Virginia...

2011-09-02T13:55:00.007-04:00

Hey All, well, I made it to Virginia. It was an awesome, yet long, drive out here, the awesome part mainly thanks to this lady:

Ben's cousin Annie. She lives in Minneapolis and more than being my husband's cousin, she's a great friend. I'm going to miss her and her adorable daughters so much, but she was kind enough to WANT to drive out to DC with me. We had many hilarious and fun times along the way, but we were both happy in Pennsylvania when we saw this, and knew we were in the home stretch.

We arrived on a Saturday night after spending the night before in Ohio. We stayed in a TINY town in Ohio, where this was the view outside our Holiday Inn Express room window:

Yup, corn fields, as far as the eye can see. I grew up in the Midwest, I've seen farm land, but this was masses of it like I've never seen before. It was actually kind of creepy when we pulled up to the hotel the night before and the perimeter of it was lined with dark, empty corn fields.

Upon arriving in Virgina, we enjoyed a delicious meal by our hotel, and then were off to bed. We were both craving a good, REAL meal (IE not just car munching) and nice night's sleep after a long day of driving. Sunday, we went into explore DC with our friend Kristin who lives in the area before Annie flew back that night. It was a whirlwind three days of driving, arriving, touring, and before I knew it, Annie was gone! It was then that I started to realize, I'm not on a trip, this is my home now!

I've been living in the same hotel Annie and I arrived at for the past two weeks now. I'm getting to the point where I'm ready to get into a real home, have a real kitchen, and ready for Ben and Cooper to get here. I'm lucky that I have friends close though who have let me do laundry and make meals at their places though.

Work has been so super busy though, that I am thankful I've had this time to acclimate on my own, because I come home most nights from work, get in a workout, grab dinner and collapse into sleep quite early.

I've been trying to take advantage of certain parts of hotel living as well. The gym on site, a maid making my bed, a great lap pool and hot tub, Free HBO, being within walking distance of great shops and restaurants, etc.

This coming weekend, Ben and Cooper arrive, and I cannot WAIT!! I'm out of the hotel Sunday, the day they arrive, and I'm hoping our things will be here in the next few days from the movers as well for our apartment that I now have keys to. Before my boys arrive, I'll be spending a lot of this weekend setting up my closet, doing laundry and such in the apartment.

I have many more updates to tell you all, but I'll cut it off here. Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

Quinoa!

2011-08-10T12:47:00.009-04:00

Six months ago, Quinoa was a foreign word to me, let alone knowing it was a food, now I'm soooo in love with it!

It's a delicious, Gluten Free, high fiber, clean food, that then obviously goes well with my clean eating.

Quinoa Nutrition Facts
Source

If you've never heard of it, Quinoa starts off looking like little oatmeal flakes...

Dry Quinoa
Source

and then after boiling it with some hot water... and, POOF! It's huge, fluffy and tasty!

Source

I've been making some Quinoa salads lately, including these two from Oh She Glows and Eat, Live, Run.

The Live, Eat Run, Quinoa Salad, Based on personal preference I cut out the peppers and used Oranges instead of grapefruit

Iowa Girl Eats also just published this easy looking one. Based on these recipes, you can see that Quinoa can be used with vegetables, with fruit as a dessert, or as a dinner side; it's pretty versatile.

Quinoa is cheap, can be bought it bulk and easy to make, so if you haven't, give it a try!

Do you have a favorite way to use Quinoa? What about any new recipes you've tried lately?

Clean Eating

2011-08-09T12:37:00.006-04:00

Celiac Disease has thrown my healthiness pattern into a spiral like I never thought it would. I thought once I received my diagnosis, life would be on it's merry way, and things would be easy, not so much.

Having always been at a pretty steady weight (if you remember, my weight gain was the reason I went in to be tested for Celiac in the first place), my weight is now a yo yo of 5-10 pounds depending on the day. It's SO frustrating. Pants that fit perfect last week, now are painful to wear this weekend. Dresses that I bought because I like how they hugged my curves, then hang off of me the next time I try to wear them.

I've been reading a lot about people who have suffered similar symptoms post diagnosis. First, they'll lose some weight from the lack of bloating due to cutting gluten out of their diet, but then keep putting on weight, or not able to lose at all. Most studies attribute this to:

Newly diagnosed Celiacs eating larger portions, because they were acustomed to eating large portions prior to diagnosis to stay full since they weren't absorbing all the nutrients and were thus, malnourished.
Increase sugars and fats that are put in Gluten Free "substitute foods" to create flavor

Both seemed to make sense for me, so this week, I've decided to try and make a conscious effort to "eat clean." I always feel like I'm trying to do this anyway, eating things that are naturally Gluten Free, not manufactured this way, like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. But, I do tend to grab Gluten Free frozen meals, snack bars, etc. when I'm in a hurry. I mean, think about it, should I eat that half a Protein Luna Bar before a run, or an apple? No, Luna Bars aren't bad for you, but isn't an apple a better, less caloric, choice?

So, with the guidance from Mary at Fit This Girl's clean eating (I don't intend to go for her results, just using her as a good guide), I'm going for it!

For instance, today's "clean" lunch:

Grilled Chicken Breast, Homemade Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Homemade Guacamole

I also made these frozen treats last night that chef Katie Lee published recently where you mix plain, 0% Greek yogurt, a few squirts of honey and fresh cherries and freeze them in a few containers for an after dinner sweet snack.

Fresh sliced cherries, 0% Plain Greek Yogurt and Honey

This eating does take planning ahead, but I look forward to it, and how much more in control of my body I feel when I do eat this way. I know it will be difficult in the coming weeks as I move, but this whole initiative will help me be more conscious about what I'm putting in my mouth, and that it needs to be for my body's ultimate nourishment, not just to get full.

Gluten Free, Blueberry, Cottage Cheese Pancakes

2011-08-02T16:58:00.009-04:00

I've been tweeting about this little recipe like crazy lately, Gluten Free, Blueberry, Cottage Cheese Pancakes. My friends made them for me when I stayed with them in DC a few weeks back, and they were a hit. Easy, delicious and with extra protein, so I figured, why not try them with my own spin!

Here are the ingredients:

1/2 Cup Gluten Free Pancake Mix (I used Bisquick)
1 Large Full Egg and 1 Egg White
1 tbsp, plus 1 tsp of Canola Oil
8 ounces of 1% Cottage Cheese
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
3/4 Cup Fresh Blueberries

**I'm sure these can easily be made with regular, non-Gluten Free pancake mix as well.

Now here is the most important step, you must put all these ingredients (excluding the blueberries) in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Simply whisking or stirring will not break down the curds from the cottage cheese.

Then, place the batter, in however large you want them spoonfuls in a hot pan or griddle, and immediately plop the amount of desired blueberries on the still batterful pancakes.

The finished pancake should look something like this:

It may not be the prettiest thing, but man they are delicious! And you can store leftover batter in the fridge to use the next morning if you want. I've found it's good for about 24 hours, so you can even make it the night before ahead of time if you want.

Here are the nutrition facts for one pancake, should you make four servings out of the above stated ingredients, according to Spark Recipes:

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
4 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		170.6

Total Fat		6.6 g

	Saturated Fat	1.1 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.6 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	3.4 g

Cholesterol		48.5 mg

Sodium		538.7 mg

Potassium		91.9 mg

Total Carbohydrate		16.4 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.1 g

	Sugars	4.0 g

Protein		10.4 g

Enjoy!!

The one where I tell you I'm moving to Virginia...

2011-08-01T22:48:00.006-04:00

I've written this post over and over again in my head over the last two weeks or so since I found out. I've thought, "what if my close friends find out from the blog? That's not right." But in all honesty, I can't cover everyone in phone calls, e-mails, etc. so I'll just say it, Ben and I are moving to the Northern Virgina/Washington D.C. area.

The reason I have been so busy lately, with so much travel, and little time to blog, has been because of flying out to interview for the job (it's still with my current company, which I love, yay!) and finding a place for us to live.

I'm a Midwestern girl, who's never left the Midwest in my life, but we're very lucky that we have friends in the D.C. area, and love the area, so we're really looking forward to what lies ahead for us.

Of course I'll miss my friends in Minnesota, and the memories I've made here. I went to college here, so naturally, a lot of my friends are still in the Twin Cities. My parents aren't a long drive away, and most notably, the memories of meeting and marrying Ben are here. But, I have to say we're SO excited to move to Virginia and all that comes along with it, and ready to make new memories out east.

So now, join me on this journey, one where I move across the country with my husband, and blog about what it's really like. Also, if you have any advice, or words of wisdom, whether it's about moving, the DC area, staying healthy during a big move, etc. I'd love to hear it!

Stay tuned, because I'm sure I'll have many updates to come, and thanks in advance for your support!

Trying to fit it all in

2011-07-25T11:40:00.014-04:00

As stated previously, things have been crazy, busy lately. This weekend, both Ben and I were home and tried to fit in time together, time to get things done, and also time with friends-- oh and time for a workout too.

Friday night consisted of a craft night at Ben's cousin Annie's house. I am notoriously NOT crafty, but she helped me make this beauty.

My flower pin, made with love, and many mistakes

Somehow Annie got me to use the fabric cutter, and I didn't end up in the ER with stitches.

She was a great teacher to all of us, and even made her own beautiful flower pin that I will never be able to match in beauty!

Annie, surveying the other, more craft worthy, attendees

The hostess and her handy work

Thanks to these lovely ladies, I was about to get in a seven mile, very humid, and therefore very challenging for this asthmatic, run on Saturday morning bright and early.

Me, Jen, and Jen

Thank goodness we did our run when we did. Literally as I drove out of the parking lot to go home, and huge roll of thunder sounded and the the hazy clouds became dark and ominous, bringing on a big storm.

Then, I was able to attend my college friend Nina's wedding with the gals I went to Journalism School with. It was so great to have the five of us together, as this only happens maybe twice a year if we're lucky.

Jenna, Nina, Me, Molly & Sarah

It was a beautiful wedding, and the first Jewish wedding (with some Christianity mixed in to boot) that I've ever attended. I finally was able to see the breaking of the glass, the chair dance and many other traditions.

Sunday morning, Ben and I met his cousin Annette for breakfast at one of my favorite places in the Twin Cities, the Highland Grill. If you ever are looking for a breakfast place in the Twin Cities area, be sure to go to one of their many "Grill" locations; I've never had a bad experience with their breakfast menu.

Following breakfast, I had a large to-do list, but was SO glad I made time to head over to my pal Cindy's pool and hang out with she, Amanda and Jen.

Amanda, Me, Jen & Cindy

The couple of hours relaxing by the pool were exactly the relaxation I needed. I got a little bit of color, some much needed gab time, and was able to decompress before I hit the ground running on the errands, cleaning, laundry and cooking that the rest of the day entailed.

I also decided this weekend I'm going to be taking part in Jen's New Rules of Lifting for Women group workouts, check it out! I've heard great things about this book, and it's results and found a really cheap used (but said to be "like new") copy on Amazon. If you're interested, comment on Jen's post and get the book!

How was your weekend??

Summer Fashion Finds

2011-07-21T16:36:00.014-04:00

Lately, bloggers have been talking about their summer fashions, and it has my creative juices flowing. I love fashion, I'm not always the best at creating an outfit, but God bless it, I LOVE it.

Recently, Tracy from Sellabit Mum did a great post on recent finds that she's wearing to an upcoming blogger conference. And, I also found this awesome blog, J's Everyday Fashion, that puts together outfits from stores that everyday people can afford.

My staple this summer has been this easy, cute, cotton Kimono dress from Target. I had a dress like this from Nordstrom last summer, but something about the way this one is cut, it fits and feels great, better than the other. I usually wear it with a black tank underneath, but it's great for car or air travel because it's comfortable, and you can still show up to feeling like you didn't just roll out of a hot car, or stuffy airplane.

I've also found some great stuff on the Gap Clearance rack this summer, including this dress for work.

Source

And let me tell you, when I bought this it wasn't freaking $45 dollars like it is online. With 40% off clearance, I got it for a whopping TWELVE DOLLARS. That's right, 12 bucks! I felt like it was a real steal (and it was!) I highly recommend Gap's clearance racks right now.

I'm a lover of dresses in general in summer, sure you may have to shave your legs more, but the easy, one piece outfit, is where it's at. Plus, in the freezing Minnesota climate wearing dresses, even with tights, in the winter is not an option most days.

And, if you really love a deal, and are looking for fall items, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is on now until August 1. I pretty much consider this sale a national holiday. This year I bought a few cute things (scarf, costume jewelery, basic black top, perfume, etc.), but nothing major, but I love the great deals that this sale includes!

If I write this post, it's real

2011-07-12T14:55:00.004-04:00

I've been debating writing this post, because once I tell all of you, it's real...

You may have noticed in my "training for" area to the right on here, I've posted that I'm training for the Twin Cities Marathon in October (or, if you use a reader program, you may not have!) and that is what I'm here to tell you folks: I signed up for another marathon, I'm really doing it!

I feel crazy, confident, and determined all in the same breath about this challenge. Sure, I've done it before, but I was injured running it, it wasn't my best performance, and at the time, I just wanted to finish.

Obviously, I want to finish again, but I'd like to do it with a little more grace this time. =) (Not saying that I won't cry when I finish, I know I'll cry, it's me here, hello).

I feel more confident in my training this summer the second time around, but I'm of course not at the mileage I would like to be at, but is anyone ever?!

"Hello, my name is crazy!!"

I'm lucky that I have so many running buddies who hold me accountable, including the newly minted runner Jen, who's lost 70 pounds over the last ten months and developed a love for running. She's training for the TC 10 Mile Race and possibly the Monster Dash Half-Marathon, and is always up for adding on some good miles with me, even if it's a distance she's never attempted before.

If you've noticed, my updates have been sparse lately. Life has been crazy with working longer hours, some travel that's coming up for work, marathon training, plus selling our condo (therefore, having to always make sure it's clean!), but I have a few great posts in store, including some recipes of my own (that's right, NOT someone recipes linked, my favorite kitchen creations!) that I'd love to share.

What are you training for right now? If not races, what are some summer goals that you have accomplished?

"mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land"

2011-06-29T14:48:00.014-04:00

This past weekend Ben and I went to the Milwaukee area to celebrate our anniversary by watching the Twins play the Brewers at Miller Park and spend some time with my parents and my brother and his wife.

My mom brought up the top layer of our cake to enjoy. According to those who can eat Gluten, it was still delicious a year later!

Even the Viking and Packer Helmets were still in tact!

I'm still peeved about that cake and the fact that the bakers didn't listen to our exact instructions on what we wanted...grr... It's OK, I got my revenge with terrible online reviews of them!

Saturday night we headed out to Miller Park, which is a great stadium! It's only about ten years old, and has great ammentities.

The retractable roof, pulled back for the beautiful night we got to enjoy

Unlike Minnesota stadiums, ones in Wisconsin are a tailgating haven! We enjoyed a few beers before the game, and since my mom doesn't drink beer, she brought red wine in her water bottle, hilarious!

Dad and Mom

My brother had some connections at the stadium and we were able to get a behind the scenes tour of the park, soooo cool! We saw the organ player (a 30 something GUY! So surprising!), the clubhouse for the Brewers, where the owner sits, and were able to take a fun picture in the media interview room.

As far as the actual game, the Twins got our hopes up with a 1-0 start, and then ended up getting throttled by the Brewers 11-1.

Also, if you don't know the movie line the subject of this blog post is referring to, check this out!

The Best Tank Top Ever

2011-06-22T10:49:00.008-04:00

I love to plan out my outfits for races. As noted before, I get manicures to match my outfits, and I love to have fun with the looks out there.

I usually run races in Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze Capri's, and am currently hankering after this one.

How does one not love this freaking skort? Plus, on Zappos it's free shipping, and look, it's on sale! (I think I'm trying to convince myself here, and Ben, more than anyone else that I must have this).

Here's the deal, this week, I discovered the best workout tank top I've ever worn. EVER. Comfortable, Fashionable and great for training runs or races.

Ladies and Gentleman, the Cool Racerbank Tank from Lululemon...

TA DA!!!

Source

Here is why I love this tank:

The dry fit material
They have fun designs and colors, more than the website displays (I got a black camouflage one)
For Lululemon prices, $39 is reasonable (did I just really say that?)
It doesn't ride up when you run
Per my last point, it runs a bit longer, so it covers the top half of your butt, which I love
It lines up directly with a classic designed sports bra

Need I say more people?! I hope you're able to get your hands on one and enjoy it as much as I do! I'm currently trying to convince myself I don't need to buy another one...or two...

Disclaimer: Lululemon or Skirt Sports didn't ask me to write about any of this stuff, or pay for my items (I wish) that I purchased from them. I just like to share great finds with you all!

Home Project Challenged

2011-06-20T15:42:00.008-04:00

I know I've mentioned it on twitter, but not sure on here, we're selling our condo, horray! I love our condo, especially the location, but I'm ready for a bigger place. Ben bought it three and a half years ago, so we didn't buy it at a sky high price, and I feel good about selling it.

Here's the thing though, I'm not a home projects person. I would pay Nate Berkus or whatever to come in, re-do everything, and leave me with the bill if I could. I don't feel the accomplishment that makes a person puff out like a proud rooster after huge home projects. Sure, I feel good when I accomplish some things around the house, like I love doing cleaning and organizing, but I just get SO frustrated SO easily with the long, and usually over budget, things that happen with home projects.

But, because I'm a middle-class American, I can't pay someone to do these projects. So, I go to Home Depot, I ask questions that most people probably know, and then stare back at the sales clerk like they just told me I need to go home and skin a cat.

Ben and I tried to repaint part of our common area once. It ended up taking an extra day than planned, and the paint didn't match up. We did successfully install this super power toilet that can apparently flush 18 golf balls at once, or lawn sod (we haven't tried it) though, with the help of my Dad of course.

Anyway, we had to do a few improvements before we put our condo on the market. Last fall my parents came up and painted (with our minimal help) and then we had our carpets shampooed, put up these picture ledges to display our wedding photos in a clean, concise way, and did some major de-cluttering.

This past weekend though, I fell trap to the store West Elm. I've gone in there before, and bought a pillow or two, but never felt like this. I found something, I HAD To have. This lamp:

Round Upright Table Lamp

Thanks to my friend Molly, who is so much braver than I am when it comes to re-decorating and documents the process of making over her house on her blog, I found out they had 15% off the clearance, and I decided to go for the lamp. After all, currently, we had two mismatched lamps on our bedside tables, and we need nice lamps to show the condo, right? RIGHT?!?

I bought two of the Hammered Metal, and I love them!

So, two lamps purchased for $50, that were, originally $60 a piece. I'd call that a successful home project--at least a project for the challenged home owner like me. It's reasons like this my friends, why we own a condo, and not a full fledged home and are looking for a place that has a low maintenance yard!

And in the true spirit of house projects, remember that show "Trading Spaces" on TLC where neighbors would switch up and re-decorate a room in each others homes? Yup, here's one of those not so great reactions, that makes me laugh!

P.S. If you would like information on our condo, shoot me an e-mail at: AlexaTaleof2Cities@gmail.com

Gluten Free Goodies at Irish Pub

2011-06-09T21:37:00.013-04:00

Tonight, I had the pleasure of sampling the new Gluten Free menu that's going to be featured at Cooper's Irish Pub in St. Louis Park, just north of downtown Minneapolis.

I was SO excited when I won entry to this event via Crystal Grobe (AKA @CafeCyan) and a contest she did on Twitter earlier this week.

Cooper's opened about two years ago, and is part of a few Irish Pubs in the Twin Cities area owned by Kieran Folliard, a native Irishman himself.

Kieran Folliard (right) conversing with fellow Gluten Free diners

All Kieran's pubs offer a delicious food and drink menu, and I'm often at their sister pub, The Local, for post-work happy hours.

The night's event started with a delicious Gluten Free Beer, Bards. For a lady who's all about light, simple beers, this was a great sip and enjoy beer for cocktail hour, or with dinner.

Bards Nutrition Facts

As you an see, the beer isn't too bad calorie wise either, and is locally owned by Minnesota Business people, and then brewed in New York State.

Next, we were able to dig into the food, and let me tell you, it was delightful.

First, the chef Nick explained to us each item: from a wide variety of Wisconsin cheeses and sliced meats, paired with rice crackers and fruit, seared tuna with gluten free soy sauce (soy sauce is one of those surprising items that can be chalked full of gluten!), spinach and artichoke dip with veggies and gluten free bread, and my personal favorite, their signature chicken shots!

I was most impressed with their chef speaking about their Gluten Free practices to avoid cross contamination, and how the kitchen staff is taught to use different pans, wash their hands thoroughly, etc. to make sure Gluten Free items stay, in fact, Gluten Free.

My favorite, chicken shots, battered in rice flour

My plate: Rice Crackers, Cheese, Genoa Salami, Fruit Chutney, Spinach & Artichoke Dip and Chicken Shots

Dessert: Vanilla Ice Cream with Homemade Strawberry Sauce and Whipped Cream

One of the best aspects about tonight's event, is that I felt normal when it came to eating out. I could eat whatever I wanted and not have to double check every single, freaking little thing.

There are times, I HATE being Celiac more than anything. Like in Boston, when I pulled the waitress aside to tell her about my allergy and she loudly asked the rest of the table, "Anyone else here with a food allergy I should know about?" I wanted to crawl under the table and melt. Or family functions, where I feel like I'm being so ungrateful to family who've worked hard to prepare a meal, only to find I can't eat it.

Ben and I love to go out to eat and going to dinner parties. We love trying new places, and socializing with friends over food and drink; before I had Celiac it was an enjoyment that I took for granted. Now, I'm often anxious about going out to eat. I call ahead, I look up reviews online from other celiacs, and I often bring my own food to other people's homes. I do all this, and still sometimes, I end up being tainted, have a reaction and walk around with a bloated stomach that I've lovingly (read = sarcasm) named my wheat baby for a couple of days.

Tonight, everything that was served to me, I could eat and drink with ease, it was so liberating. I know that people have to deal with a lot worse things in life, but it was nice to feel like one of the crowd, and not have to fret, or make a fuss about what's on my plate. It made me sad for many kids with Celiac, who feel this way at school functions, birthday parties or sleepovers; at least I'm an adult and can comprehend this affliction more than they can.

By far though, the highlight of my night, was chit chatting with Kieran and having him tell me that I should bring in a picture of MY Cooper to hang on their wall as the restaurant's mascot since they share the same name.

After all, who wouldn't want this face on their wall to attract more business? :)

Workout Tunes

2011-06-03T16:43:00.002-04:00

What tunes get you pumped up to workout and keep you pumped up? Sometimes, music can be exactly what you need to get through a long run, a tough workout, and accomplish your goals.

During the Fargo Half-Marathon, and the Nike Women's Marathon, I didn't want to listen to music, I wanted to have my iPod off, and take in the sites, and I'm SO glad I did. Where as during the Goldy's Run 10 Mile this Spring, and the La Crosse Half-Marathon, my music is what kept me going.

I promised a few months back about the songs that keep me pumped up while working out, and also want to hear what songs keep you going! Adding to your play list is a great motivator, and a lot of times these songs come from recommendations.

My current favorite songs to workout to are:

Eminem, Not Afraid
Raise Your Glass, Glee Warblers
It Ain't Me Babe, Joaquin Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon from "Walk the Line"
Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
Little Lion Man, Mumford and Sons
Only Girl (In the World), Rihanna
Stuck Like Glue, Sugarland
Fall to Pieces, Avril Lavigne
Rolling in the Deep, Adele
Paris, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals
Alejandro, Lady GaGa
You Can't Always Get What You Want, Glee Cast
Dream On, Glee Cast
We R Who We R, Ke$ha
Feels Like Today, Rascal Flatts

So, as you can see, I have a diverse taste in music. =)

What are the songs that pump you up while working out?

Guest Post Update

2011-06-02T09:28:00.001-04:00

Hey Readers, I'm a guest poster over on Jen's Prior Fat Girl blog about being diagnosed with Celiac today if you're so inclined to read it.

If you're sick of me talking about Celiac and Gluten Free, and wish I would shut up about it, kindly ignore. :p

Life Power Yoga Event

2011-05-31T22:35:00.010-04:00

I feel pretty lucky tonight. Somehow, I got on a list for these Minnesota Blog Pantry events that happen every so often around the Twin Cities with bloggers like myself, and tonight's event was at the Life Power Yoga Studio in Uptown Minneapolis that opened about six months ago.

We were pampered with fruity waters, wine, and this delicious spread:

Sarah and I are ready for a girls night of fun!

We were also pampered with mini spa services, and I opted for a massage and facial.

My esthetician left my face feeling renewed post facial, even with just her mini treatment. She also reminded me of how important an SPF in your daily moisturizer is, because apparently I have some drying and age spots on my forehead--say what?! Yeah, that was a wake up call to load on the SPF and stay out of the sun!

Anyway, we had a choice of manicure or pedicure if we wanted as well, Jen took them up on making her feet beautiful!

Jen's pedicured toes
(My friend Emily is squirming in front of a computer somewhere right now looking at feet!)

We also talked blogger strategy, the main reason we're there. My friend Jen, spoke about the success she's having with Prior Fat Girl, and we all shared ways that we use our blog to enrich our lives, and how to make sure we keep don't deter from the message we want our blog to give readers. (Hmmm.... so what's MY message? ;)

Suzi, Liz and Jen discuss

The night wrapped up with a restorative yoga class, that, unlike regular yoga, is more of a seated, relaxing yoga, where you truly only concentrate on your breathing solo, not your breathing through as many movements. Although I had to leave the class early, it was a great time to relax and reflect, something not a lot of us take time for.

Jen, Anna (and baby), Suzi and I can't contain our laughter before yoga class

I LOVED this event, and would highly recommend coming here for spa services, or for a yoga class. I'm a regular Lifetime Fitness member, but this place is strictly yoga, and will probably help advance your yoga practice if that's what you're looking to do. It's a great location, and if you're worried about parking, don't worry, they validate. =)

Fargo 5K & Half-Marathon Go Far Challenge

2011-05-25T14:51:00.011-04:00

This past weekend I made my first trek to the state of North Dakota to run the Fargo 5K and Half-Marathon Go Far Challenge with my friend from college, Megan. She came down from Grand Forks, and we stayed with her parents who live near Fargo.

The 5K felt great on Friday night, and I tried to take it easy because of the half-marathon the next day. That was easier said than done though, I still ended up skipping walk breaks when I shouldn't have, and sprinting a bit at the end.

Pre-5K with Megan in her crazy Spandex Suit, that's an old dance costume from when she was 10, and she STILL fit in it!

I went back to Megan's that night, and rolled my leg, stretched, took some ibuprofen, and had a lovely ice cream sundae.

The next day, I felt apprehensive waking up. My IT band had some ache to it, and I could tell the race was going to be a tough one.

I started the race feeling alright. The weather was cloudy, but with a blanket of mositure in the air that felt like it was wrapped around my shoulders the whole race. I kept thinking, how am I going to do this today? But, to me, dropping out of the race isn't an option unless I'm being carted away by an ambulance, I signed up, I committed, I follow through.

The middle of the race felt great, I ditched my iPod and took in the sites and sounds of all the great spectators, and the bands that were set up along the course.

I became really dehydrated in the last mile; I felt dizzy, like I was going to puke, and kept dry heaving. I tried to eat a GU pack, even though I hate them, but that made me feel worse. So then, I ate one of my sport beans, but that felt like a piece of dry wool in my mouth, and took a lot of effort to swallow and keep down.

I finished the race with a grimacing look on my face (trust me, I've seen the pictures, they're too scary to share), but I finished and that's all that matters. After refueling with some chocolate milk, I felt much better, but was very relieved to have the two races behind me!

Post Half-Marathon with Megan and her niece Allie. We received THREE medals for doing the Go Far Challenge!

Preparing for a Big Race

2011-05-19T19:29:00.007-04:00

This weekend, I'm running the Fargo Half-Marathon, and Go Far Challenge, which means, I'm running a 5K Friday night, and a half Saturday morning. When my friend Megan, who lives in Grand Forks, and I decided to meet up at this race, she told me about the Go Far Challenge and I thought, "Super! Sounds so fun!" Was I crazy or something?! Did I not remember in my winter, just running to keep in shape lulls how sore I can be during training season? Oy! But anyway, this weekend, that is on my to do list.

Speaking of to do lists, I always have a list of things to check off before a race, especially an out of town one. Things like:

Charge the iPod
Charge the Garmin
Figure out packet pick up time
Determine race day outfit

Especially for traveling to races, I think it's important to have a back up outfit ready. If I hadn't brought a warmer, back up outfit for the La Crosse half three weeks ago, I would have froze my butt off.

La Crosse Half, 10 Mile Mark

Those shorts may make me look as wide as the Mississippi River, but if it weren't for them, those long tights and the headband over my ears, I would have been one cold cookie in 40 degree temps with lots of cold wind.

However, one of the most important pre-race to do's, is to get a kick ass manicure.

Today, I did just that, getting these rocking hot pink nails. I don't wear make up or wear jewelery while I run, both annoy me, but I love to have some fun nails to show off when I don't need gloves over my hands for races. The ritual gets me psyched up, and helps me pick out fun race outfits to try and coordinate with the nails.

Oh, one more thing, also equally important on the POST race to do list, a pedicure! Anyone who has to see your feet that next week will thank you!

Things I currently love

2011-05-16T14:06:00.008-04:00

I've had so many random blog ideas lately, none enough to warrant their own post, so I thought I'd throw them all together with the things I love right now!

These PF Chang imitation Lettuce Wraps from Iowa Girl Eats. They're delicious and also make great leftovers! The recipe requires quite a bit of chopping, so chop ahead on the weekend and store the items in the fridge for a quicker weeknight dinner.
This Porcelain Berry Box Colander from Crate and Barrel. It's $5.95, much cheaper than the Anthropologie version I had just seen for $20. I love Anthro, but oftentimes their prices are ridiculous!
Random Chipotle lunches in the sunshine with Molly from Snyder 5 who recently moved to a job near mine. We both share a love for Chipotle and stepping away from the office on beautiful days!
The Clothing Swap Party my friend Sam hosted last week. It's a great way to find new clothes, clean out your closet, spend time with your friends, and not spend a lot of money!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies, because they are three items: Sugar, Eggs and Peanut Butter, and they taste delicious!
Reaching over 100 public followers on the blog, holy awesome, thanks readers!

Perfect Morning to Run & Eat

2011-05-08T20:19:00.007-04:00

This Saturday was one of those days that reminds me why I put up with the weather I do in Minnesota. I love the four seasons, but I've been anxiously anticipating the summer/spring season, as winter has outworn it's welcome.

This Saturday I met a few people from the 10K clinic I helped lead to do our 10K "race" around the nearby lakes and enjoy a victory breakfast afterward. Besides having to pry a piece of beer bottle out of the sole of my shoe and slicing open my finger, the run was great!

Sunny, and almost too hot, I wished I would have worn a tank top instead of short sleeves. It was in the high 60's when we finished our run, and I had a sunburn on my arms to prove it.

Then we went to nearby Barbette for a delicious, and very affordable breakfast on their patio (ie sidewalk).

The Runners: Hannah, Me, Kristie & Connie

Barbette is known for their French Fries, and after how delicious their breakfast was, I can't wait to try their fries. I had the organic eggs with their Rosti Potatoes, slathered in ketchup. Their Rosti Potatoes are not like regular hash browns, they add seasonings and onions (but not big enough to crunch) making them flavorful and the perfect amount crispy.

All this, for $5.25!

This weekend's weather was an improvement from the La Crosse Half-Marathon last week (where I got a PR time of 2:36:11, thank you very much!) where it was windy, in the 40's with some sun. I hope this weather pattern continues for the next few weekends, especially in two weeks when I run the Fargo Half-Marathon and Go Far Challenge!

Did you have great weather in your neck of the woods this weekend? What did you all do?

Two Kisses For Maddy

2011-05-02T21:09:00.011-04:00

Per the recommendations of many friends, last weekend I picked up a copy of Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Loeglin. I had read Matt’s story before, from when it was first published in the Twin Cities local newspaper, to recently when I saw friends attending fundraisers for the foundation named in his late wife’s honor.

Matt is a Minnesota native, who lives in California, and in March 2008, 27 hours after his daughter Madeline was born, and following a tough pregnancy, his wife of three years, and partner of 12 years, died of a Pulmonary Embolism. She never got to hold the daughter she so highly anticipated, leaving Matt and Maddy alone to take on the world together.

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This book chronicles Matt and Liz’s life together pre-Maddy, Liz's tough pregnancy, Madeline's birth, along with Liz's death the next day, but mainly tells the story of a father and daughter taking on life sans mother, a concept that Matt explains was foreign to so many people, and the questions that ensued because of it.

Last week, I was lucky enough to meet Matt and also hear him read from this book at a reading and signing in Minneapolis. I thought this book was amazing at my first, but hearing a chapter read by the author himself made it even better.

Matt reading Chapter Eight from the book

If you read one book this year, even if you’re a person who hates to read, you must read this book. Two Kisses for Maddy is a quick, wonderful read, and I would have finished it in one day, if I hadn’t had to put it down at certain points so that I wouldn’t be completely emotionally exhausted. Matt is real and raw as he writes about his fear, his anger, and his love for Liz and Maddy.

The way Matt wrote this book was engaging, and best of all conversational. As a reader, I felt as if Matt was across the room from me, narrating the past three years of his life to me.

He spares no feeling; his writing is littered with curse words, just as if he were in fact, describing these events while sitting across the room from you. It was with these words I could so vividly feel the emptiness, sorrow and fear that encased his universe after Liz died, along with the hope he had for he and his daughter’s life together.

When I began the chapter that starts the day after Maddy's birth, I was in denial that Liz was really going to die when the chapter concluded; of course I knew it was coming. It's like when you're watching a terrible scene in a movie and think this time it might end differently, but of course it never does. Matt still heard his wife say, "I feel light headed," and felt her body crumble, doctors still rushed in to help her, but their efforts were no match for the pulmonary embolism that took her life. The chapter closed, and Liz was dead, and every crushed emotion Matt described, brought my chin to my chest in sobs.

I cried for Matt having to witness his wife’s life slip away, I cried for Liz for all that she will miss, and I cried for Maddy who will never know her mother, and is so innocent.

Matt describes throughout the book how he could feel so many couples at his wife’s memorial services giving him the “I’m so glad that isn’t us look,” and I have to admit, I cried with relief as I read, that it wasn’t Ben and I.

Last week when I met Matt, it was because I was over an hour early to the book signing, and he walked into the book store to introduce himself. I have to admit, I reacted like I had just seen Justin Timberlake (but with more talent, sorry JT, but it’s true!) when I first saw Matt. I contained my squeals but ran up to him and exclaimed how excited I was to meet him, how much I loved his book, and how I was there super early to make sure I got a spot and how the bookstore owners thought I was crazy.

The celebrity author himself!

The next thing I knew, my friends Cindy and Darcie, plus a new friend Nancy (all who Matt already knew) and I were across the street having a drink with him while shooting the shit before his reading; Matt is just honestly that nice of a guy.

Matt and the Ladies

And if you think Matt is great, Maddy is even more lovely. Your typical adorable three year-old, she was more than happy to "sign" my book and accept some (ie the whole bag of) Peanut Butter M&M's.

Maddy, multi-tasking

I’ll say it again, if you read ONE book this year, read this one. You’ll value Matt’s honesty, and Maddy’s innocence, but most importantly, you’ll close this book truly valuing those you hold close in your own life.

Beantown

2011-04-21T18:33:00.012-04:00

This past weekend Ben and I went to Boston with his family. His mom and brother, Rose and Peter, were running the marathon for a third time (they are ROCK STARS!) and we were there to support them, and get a little vacation out of it too.

Sunday before the marathon we all headed to Fenway Park (minus the runners, who were resting up) to watch the Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the perfect day for a game once the sun came out after some pre-game showers. We sat in the outfield seats, and they did not disappoint. I even got a pretty wicked sunburn on my forehead at the game; first sunburn of the year!

Ben received so many comments about his Minnesota North Stars sweatshirt; most of them in hilarious Boston accents. "Hey Minnesota, how much you want for that sweatshirt?"

Also, Fenway has so many diverse food choices, Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegan, etc., very cool!

I got my first look at the famous Citgo sign. The neighborhood around Fenway is such a fun area.

The next morning we were up bright and early to hit the marathon course and cheer on Rose and Peter.

We headed to Framingham, right past the 10K mark for our first stop. I loved how the course wound through these little towns that still had so much colonial charm. We saw the elite runners take off past us there.

We also saw Rose and Peter looking strong!

Next we headed to Wellesley College that's known for the sound of high pitched screaming girls cheering on the racers. There we spotted Rose, but she didn't see us, she was way too focused. She looked determined coming up this incline, that's her, right in the middle sticking out from the pack.

She also looked fierce when we saw her at Boston College right after the 20 mile mark. This is where so many runners hit their wall, but she still looked strong, if not stronger than when we saw her before.

This was a great spot for all the energetic students, and also the area of the infamous "heartbreak" hill that's an incline for nearly a half mile when many marathoners are suffering the most.

Rose finished strong, in 4:46 even after suffering cramps. I am always impressed by her, and the fact that she's in her late 50's and running marathons. My in-laws are seriously SO active, golfing, traveling, biking, swimming, taking history courses; I hope Ben and I can be like them when we're that age!

Unfortunately, Peter did not finish the race, as he wasn't feeling well, and then started to cramp badly. He had to make the tough choice to pull off the course, or he knew he would end up in the medical tent. Peter is such a strong athlete, and I commend him for this decision, a lot of people would not have put their health first like he did.

Post marathon, once showers and massages were had, we all headed over to Cambridge near Harvard for a great meal at Grafton Street Pub and Grill. This place was delicious! I had HUGE scallops with butternut squash puree mixed with apples and bacon vinaigrette. So delicious that I gobbled them up before I took a picture.

For dessert, I also had their Gluten Free flowerless chocolate cake, yum! It was so warm and delicious. The hardest part of this gluten free diet for me is giving up a lot of sweets I love (it's also probably good for me too!) so this hit the spot.

I also had my first Gluten Free beer while in Boston, RedBridge, and it was so refreshing. I was a Miller Lite gal pre-celiac, so I don't expect much out of a beer, so maybe to beer snobs they'd hate it, but I loved just being able to have a cold one!

Boston was all in all a great time. Ben's dad kept calling it an "unlivable city" and I'd have to say that I agree. Although a great city, it's set up very goofy, and even with good public transit, it's not a city you can completely go carless in, like New York City. I surely can't wait to visit again though.

Oh, and if you're wondering why Boston is called "Beantown,", here's why.

Spring Fashion!

2011-04-14T12:14:00.007-04:00

Spring is pretty much here. The snow is nearly all melted in Minnesota, and that means people are anxious to get on their tank tops, shorts, skirts and flip flops, and I'm right on board!

Lately, I've found some CUTE good deals, that I had to share.

Just last week, I found this ruffle top from Ann Taylor Loft, and then upon a trip to Banana Republic where all sale items were 40% off, I found this vest to pair with it for $17.99 (the vest isn't featured on their website anymore, sorry!)

I put low lights for the first time in my hair recently, so weird to see it this dark!

I also recently found this Tunic at New York and Company. I don't normally shop at this store, but I love their basic body shaper tank tops, so when I went to pick up a white one, I spotted this and knew I had to have it (currently sold out on their website, so no link, but check back!)

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I'm a huge fan of wearing capris like these ones from Macy's in the summer and spring, so I thought this Tunic would go perfect with them! Plus, I feel tunics are flattering to a middle heavier figure like mine.

I also picked up this simple, floral strapless dress from Target, that I think will pair great with a denim jacket, or my gray boyfriend blazer. It will be great for a little dressier outfit for running around on hot summer weekends! It comes in various designs, including a Navy Blue with White Polka Dots that's also really cute.

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The biggest thing I've noticed about spring fashions, is that you shouldn't be paying full price for anything! Everyone wants your money because consumers are so frugal right now.

Ann Taylor Loft is always having sales, last week the whole store was 40% off when I went in. Personally, I think you're wasting your money if you ever buy anything full price at that store!

New York and Company has a ton of e-mail club coupons, so sign up for their e-mails! Banana Republic and Gap keep offering deals like 40% off clearance, as I mentioned above, or 40% off Wednesdays, where one regular priced item is 40% off on that particular day of the week.

This weekend Ben and I are going to Boston, and I'm hoping to find some fun finds there as well. Although, it's hard for me to justify buying clothes in other states when we're so lucky to not have tax on clothes in Minnesota--they're a necessity, hello!! ;)

What are your spring fashion finds? What can you not wait to wear come Summer?

Recipe Round Up!

2011-04-05T12:02:00.002-04:00

Lately, I've discovered some great recipes, I had to share with you all. Some of them I made before the Celiac diagnosis, but most of them I can easily make gluten free, as I usually change some of them to be healthified anyway.

The first is from The Pioneer Woman, of course, her Sour Cream Noodle Bake. I substituted ground turkey for the beef, and used 1% Cottage cheese, and it tasted great! I also used Whole Wheat Egg Noodles. This was an easy dish, and I served when we had guests last week, and they loved it too. It also made for great leftovers.

The next is White Turkey Chili from A Fit and Spicy Life, yum! This recipe took a bit more time, and I ran out of white wine, so I tried to compensate with chicken stock, and that knocked out some the spiciness, but it was still delicious. Served with Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream on top and it was a winner. This was also easily freezable for quick meals for months to come.

I also made these quick and easy, No Bake Almond Butter Bites from Oh She Glows, and loved them! I've heard that Rice Krispies are going to be going Gluten Free, so once they do, I'll be able to make this recipe again.

I'm so impressed by people who create their own recipes in the kitchen. I would be a disaster! Sure I can add a little spin to something simple, but much more of a recipe follower, than a recipe creator!

I hope you enjoy these recipes, feel free to comment and share your favorite new recipe finds!

Surprise Diagnosis: Celiac Disease

2011-04-03T20:49:00.004-04:00

I don't know even where to begin with this post, the past week has been a whirlwind! In that time I was diagnosed with Celiac, had multiple tests, revamped my kitchen... and the list goes on!

To start at the beginning, over the last few months, I've put on some pounds. At first I thought they were Christmas pounds, from parties and being in Idaho enjoying food and drinks, but they weren't going away. No matter how many days I counted my calories, got in extra workouts, took the stairs at work, ate extra vegetables, the scale was not going in my favor. The weirdest thing was, all the weight was in my belly, and I usually gain weight in my face first. My clothes were not fitting well, and I felt like my mid-section was a bloated whale belly.

It came to a head about a week and a half ago when I hopped on the scale that Friday morning to see how my week's worth of strict eating and working out had payed off, to see I'd gained three pounds. WHAT?!? In total I had gained 12- 15 pounds since our wedding last June, depending on the day. This was NOT normal.

So, called my doctor, she wasn't in, and made an appointment with another doctor. I thought maybe my thyroid was acting up, because my mom and brother both suffer from Thyroid disease, but after googling "unexplained weight loss" I found some resources saying Celiac Disease, the allergy to Gluten and Wheat, could be the cause.

Luckily, I have a great resource in this area, my friend Amy who's daughter, brother and father have Celiac and she runs the blog the Savvy Celiac. When I told her my symptoms and asked her if she thought I should be tested, she told me that for sure I should be.

The doctor I saw (not my normal one) was hesitant to test me, saying that most people who have Celiac, lose weight not gain (a total myth I've learned), but I insisted that he test me, if only for piece of mind. I've learned from past experiences I have to be my own advocate in the doctor's office, and I don't pay my insurance premiums to not get what I want. After all, I may be the patient, but that also makes me the customer.

That following Tuesday I received the call, saying I had tested, "very positive" for Celiac. That a normal test was under 20, and my test read at 132. WOW! I was so glad I stood my ground and got this test, it was a simple blood test too.

Since this call, it's been a whirlwind, for both Ben, and I. I've met with a Gastroenterologist, had more blood tests, an upper endoscopy that involved a biopsy of my small intestine, and been to Whole Foods more times that ever before in a matter of a week.

I'm finding so many helpful resources, and often feel overwhelmed. I cried over my last gluten filled meal, a Punch Pizza last week, thinking of the lovely foods I would miss, and the life change ahead, but honestly, if cutting out Gluten and Wheat makes me feel better, that's all that matters.

The doctor told me over the next few months my energy will improve, my weight should go down as my body is able to absorb more nutrients, and I should just all around feel better. Yes to that!

I won't go on to explain the specifics of Celiac, but here is a link if you want to learn more. Don't be afraid to throw this blood test into the ones you already receive at your annual physical, it doesn't require much (maybe a few more drops of blood drawn) and could help improve your health immensely!

So, now a new journey begins for me. Full of rice flower, special menus, more fruits and veggies, and amercing myself into the Gluten Free Community. I promise this will not become a Celiac niche blog (we have Amy for that--she's got that down!) but still about healthiness and other random crap, although sometimes that will include Celiac. Thank you all in advance for your support!

Reading Rainbow

2011-03-28T20:03:00.004-04:00

Lately I've been doing something, I usually almost never do, reading books for fun. Sure, I usually read your share of magazines, In Style, People, Food Network, Everyday Food (the list here is really far too long, you should see our magazine basket), but I never seem to have the patience to sit down and read a book.

That has changed since I started taking the bus to and from work last year, and now, I love having a book to read while riding.

The first one I read recently was, "The Help," written by Kathryn Stockett.

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I had received a lot of recommendations on this book, and was lent it by Ben's cousin last fall. It took me months to read it, as I read a few pages at a time on the bus, but I finally finished it when we were in Idaho for Christmas and I had the time to sit down and read big chunks of it.

It's basically about a group of Mid-Twenties females in Mississippi in the 1960's and the Black help that raised them and how they were treated. Historical fiction, right up my alley. Plus, the author writes each chapter from the perspective of a different character, loved that.

The book is now being made into a movie starring Emma Stone set to come out late this summer, I can't wait to see it!

I also just finished The Pioneer Woman's new book, "Black Heels To Tractor Wheels," the story of when she met "Marlboro Man" and how she ended up ditching her big city dreams, for a life she never dreamed of living on a cattle ranch in her native Oklahoma.

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I loved this book because her writing is so descriptive, conversational, and not to mention sarcastic. She is a great story teller from her description of the first time she saw her future husband, to the little black boots and Anne Klein jeans she describes that she wore on their first date.

My dilemma now is, I need another good book to read, and I'm scratching my head trying to find one. After reading both these great books in a row, I need to find something else to keep my interest. I've heard "Water for Elephants" is good, but I've also heard there is animal abuse in that book, and I don't think I could handle reading about that if it goes into great, painful detail.

I'm also thinking of picking up copies of my two favorite books, "The Great Gatsby" and "To Kill a Mockingbird," and give those re-reads since it's been so long since I've read them.

What are your all time favorite books? What are some books you would recommend to a friend?

Surly Brewery Tour

2011-03-27T21:00:00.012-04:00

This weekend was Ben's 34th Birthday on Saturday, and since we were going to a wedding that night, I wanted to surprise him with something fun on Friday. So, I arranged some friends to meet us at the Surly Brewing Company in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and we did a tour there, it was SO fun!

The brewery comes out a nowhere in a little neighborhood of businesses off of Highway 100. Ben was so confused on where we were going, until we pulled into the brewery's parking lot that sits at a dead end of the businesses.

The tour started with mingling in their cute bar area, and you got five tokens so you could try their different beers.

Because I'm more of a fruity, cocktail drink gal, I liked their lightest beer, Bender, although their most popular is an IPA called Furious. I used about three of my tokens and then gave the rest to the birthday boy!

After a good amount of time filling up on beer and visiting the gift shop, there was a presentation on the history of the brewery, which was really interesting, followed by more time to enjoy some beer, and lastly information on how the beer there is brewed.

The tour was completely free, but they fill up fast, so if you want to attend one of the tours (they're only held on Friday nights) you have to sign up fast on their website three weeks before the tour is given.

Sam, Brad, Kari, Jamie, Ben and I on the tour

We concluded our night, by stuffing our faces with pizza, and then going to one of the best bars I've ever found around here, it's a Vodka Bar called St. Petersburg. It's a converted American Legion hall, that offers many different varieties of vodka, and is a "Cheers" type bar where everyone welcomed us in, and was super cheap to boot!

After having my share of beer, I had a fruit cocktail made with one of their signature Vodkas, delicious!

St. Petersburg was definitely a place of regulars, as we sat enjoying our drinks, we heard one of them from the bar say, "this is the place where dreams come true." After our fun night there, and a bill that hardly put a dent in my checking account, I had to agree!

Every Reason Not to Run

2011-03-24T09:04:00.003-04:00

I had every reason not to run last night.

My running clinic peeps all told me they couldn't make it
My friend who I made a running date with had to then stay late at work
My head was literally pounding and pulsating with a huge headache
It had just snowed, sleeted, rained, etc. buckets on the city, and the after wind of this storm was still pretty wicked in some spots
We had dinner plans at 7:30, so the run couldn't be that long anyway

But, with all these excuses, I knew I just had to get out and hit the pavement. So, I reluctantly pulled on my running tights, and put a pair of wind pants over them to deter the wind, strapped on my Garmin, cued up my iPod and took off.

I didn't go anywhere magical, just the nearby neighborhood streets, thought a change of scenery would be nice from the normal lake trail runs.

The neighborhoods were filled with people home from work, shoveling drive ways, some snow blowing. The streets were surprisingly pretty clear, and have little enough traffic that I could run right down the middle of them.

I sung along to my iPod at some points (noted: future post on my favorite current workout songs and to hear some of yours!) and waved hello to kids being put to work shoveling.

I came home 25 minutes and 2.16 miles later, and I felt rejuvenated. My head still pounded with my headache, but it didn't seem to resonate as bad as earlier. My body felt great, and I felt like I had just received the best post work mind clearing possible. I don't remember the last time I ran by myself just to run, and hear my own thoughts. Sometimes, you just NEED that.

So, I had every reason not to run, but I still did. It wasn't record breaking time, it wasn't a marathon of distance, but it made all the difference in my day.

Do you ever feel that exercise is like therapy to you? That even if you dread doing it, it can become the best release?

My Favorite Healthier Foods

2011-03-15T17:08:00.014-04:00

I've been promising you all a post about my favorite foods that help me stay on track, and I've been wracking my brain about this post for awhile. How would I remember them all? What if they're really not that healthy, but they're just what I need?

Despite those thoughts, I'm putting out there today the foods that are top of mind right now, and as I remember more things, or find new things, I'll add them to other posts like I would anyway.

I wish that I could say this was going to be like Oprah's Favorite Things, and at the end you'll click a button and get a year supply of all of these items. But, I'm no Oprah, so just buy these things if you want to try them, OK?

Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds 100 Calorie Packs

Source

These bad boys taste delicious, like almost eating dark chocolate, and will tie you over in between meals. I love them as my mid-morning snack at work!

Chobani Greek Yogurt
Source

You know from my previous give away, I LOVE it. I like to mix it with with cereals and fruit. My favorite flavors right now: Strawberry, Raspberry, Pomegranate and Lemon.

Pop Chips

Source

They're light, crunchy, and come in delcious flavors. Plus single serve bags are only 100 calories. They're great to add a salty treat to your lunch, and you won't miss fatty potato chips, or the baked ones that have more calories than Pop Chips, but in my opinion, a lot less flavor.

Single Serve Carrots and Dip Packs

Source

A great way to get in another serving of veggies, these Earthbound ones I've found at Whole Foods are 90 calories for the pack.

Mini Luna Bars

Source

The big Luna Bars can pack a mean sugar and carb punch, even though they don't use things like HFC's, or Hydrogenated Oils. But, these mini ones are a great treat, and come in two variety boxes.

Apple Crumb Vita Tops

Source

Warmed up for 30 seconds in the microwave, they taste like a little apple cake. Yum! 100 Calories, and a good portion of fiber and protein too, love these!

Sargento Light String Cheese Sticks

Source

I pretty much eat one of these everyday. At 60 calories, they satisfy my cheese craving, obviously low in carbs, and take awhile to eat.

So there you go, a few of my favorite food items! Please let me know yours as well, I'd love to hear them and so would others I'm sure!

It's not you, it's me Starbucks.

2011-03-13T19:01:00.009-04:00

It's no secret among most people who know me, I love Starbucks. Sure, there are other independent coffee houses I would feel better about supporting, and sometimes I go to them, but I think nobody does coffee like Starbucks. To get to the Starbucks near my work, I walk by two Caribou Coffee's, and a Dunn Brothers, but it's all worth it when that delicious latte is in between my hands.

Lately though, I've been trying to cut back on spending on little things like this that add up. For awhile, I had Starbucks gift cards to use from Christmas, so that helped with my addiction, but they were running out, and I need my morning caffeine, it's impossible to live without.

So, I tried the free office coffee, deplorable and disgusting. No creamer could make that crap edible. Trust me, I've done third shifts at TV stations and poured some extreme sludge down my throat, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Not only did this coffee taste bad, it made my stomach do back flips after drinking it.

I've done the morning can of pop (we have free pop at work as well), and it leaves me feeling like a bloated bubble, plus that much diet pop, is never good.

So, last week, I bit the bullet and bought this little guy:

The Mr. Coffee Four Cup Pot
(Source)

Can I tell you how in love I am? It makes the perfect amount to fill up my travel mug, and add a dash of skim milk and Truvia. I've been brewing up Folgers Vanilla Biscotti blend, and it's absolutely wonderful. I love having the warm coffee in my mitts while standing at the bus stop and not having to waste 20 minutes going to get coffee at the beginning of the work day.

So, Starbucks, let me tell you, it's not that I'm just not that into you, I am, I SO am. I love your petite treats that make me feel OK for a small splurge, I love your delicious made to order lattes, but it just can't work out.

Did I mention the coupon that popped out of the automated coupon dispenser when I checked out with the new coffee maker at Target?

OK, so maybe just ONE more latte Starbucks...

Gel Nail Polish

2011-03-07T10:14:00.003-05:00

Recently, my salon told me about these new gel nail polish options that are being offered, where basically, your nails are painted with a Gel Polish, rather than a normal one, and will stay in tact for two weeks or more. It's a hard polish, almost like fake nails, but not quite, as they never apply the fake tips.

This weekend I tried the OPI Axxium Gel Polish for the first time, and oh my word, I love it! First things first, when you leave the salon, your nails are completely dry and intact. For a notorious smugger, this was huge for me!

Second of all, I really feel like you're getting more bang for your buck. To do the Axxium, I paid $12 more, but I know this polish will last a week or more longer than a normal manicure, which I love! I hate walking around with chipped polish, but oftentimes time slips away from me from removing my tattered manicure during the work week.

These are my nails as of Monday morning, after the Saturday afternoon manicure, still looking good! I chose the very deep purple shade, "Lincoln Park, After Dark," as I felt it would be the most versatile for outfits of all color schemes.

Have you tried any of the new gel polishes out there? What are your thoughts?

30 Day Shred Check In

2011-03-03T12:59:00.003-05:00

A few months back, I mentioned how I was going to step up my 30 Day Shred workout, and I have been, and let me tell you, it's such a great workout!

I've been doing it about two mornings a week on and off, and I've completed Level One and am now onto Level Two. Since I don't do it religiously like so many people do when they do this program, I haven't progressed as fast as other people normally say they do (it is, 30 days after all), but I'm still doing my running clinic, random personal training sessions, yoga and other classes along with the 30 Day Shred.

The Shred is such an easy workout to get in (but NOT easy exercises!), because:

It's only 20 minutes
I can do it in my living room
There is little equipment required, hand weights and a mat if your floor isn't carpeted.

Today, my booty is hurting from all the squats level two makes you complete. I'm loving that on days when I think I have no time to workout, I can get up a half hour earlier, and do the shred, burn 200+ calories, and feel great that I got my workout in.

Also, after my rant on terrible things to eat last Friday (could you tell I was feeling passionate that day??) I wanted to give you guys a great recipe I made this weekend, Spark People Potato Soup. Besides peeling and chopping the vegetables, which merely takes time, it's super easy. I made a double batch and froze some to take for lunches when we need quick options. I hope you try it out!

I'm also still compiling a list of easy, healthy snacks that I'll share in the next few weeks!

Fast Food Oatmeal Is Not Good for You

2011-02-25T13:11:00.005-05:00

Folks, there are so many companies out there trying to mask things as "healthy," and really, they're just helping you get fatter, zap your energy, and making you feel worse, when you're trying to do the right thing.

Lately, the topic has come up through this New York Times article on McDonald's Oatmeal. The fact of the matter is, the best oatmeal you can eat, is the quick oats you mix up with water or milk in your own kitchen, period. Sure, there are a lot worse breakfast options you can have, but did you really think that McDonald's is cooking up something good for you? Heck no, that would cost a lot more than cooking up something that looks good, but is full of cheaper filler, rather than actual oatmeal.

Other oatmeal pedlers aren't much better. Caribou, Starbucks, & Jamba Juice, they're guilty too. Caribou's oatmeal with berries on top has 400+ calories. The oatmeal I make at home: a half cup of quick oats, mixed with a half cup of skim milk, and topped with a half cup of frozen mixed berries adds up to 278 calories. So, what is Caribou putting in their oatmeal? Well, the second line in the ingredients reads: salt/sugar, so there you go.

My point is, read before you eat, investigate. I hear people say all the time, "but I'm eating a Lean Cuisine for lunch, and those are good for you!" Again, WRONG! The first thing a nutritionist told me was that microwave diet meals are high in sodium, and offer little nutritional value, plus with their carbs to protein ratio, they leave you more hungry.

I give a lot of credit to Panera, who now lists the calories for their items right on the ordering board, as that place often seemed to mask itself as healthy, when a lot of their food packs a mean punch to the waistline.

So, after ranting, and ranting about what NOT to eat. I promise that my next post will be some good things I've found to help in healthy eating. Good recipes, cheap and easy snacks, etc.

Also, myself, I'm going to try and start eating more of a clean diet, less processed, more vegetables, fruits, meats and nuts.

A Weekend of Discoveries

2011-02-21T14:03:00.013-05:00

This weekend I went to Kansas City, Missouri to visit my brother Nathan, his wife Jessica and my nephew Andrew for my brother's birthday and before he deploys in about a month. My parents also drove down from Wisconsin, so it was a great weekend with all of us together.

I discovered this weekend, that despite only being 430 some odd miles from Minneaapolis, Kansas City sure is a lot warmer. I left the Twin Cities at 20 degrees, and arrived in Kansas City to nearly 60 degrees.

Andrew and I enjoying the sunshine

I also found that my sister-in-law is trying to get more into running and exercising. She has a goal of completing a 5K in the near future. So, we went to a near by running store to get her fitted for proper shoes. They had a very cool camera set up so they could analyze the way you run, and get the right shoe for you.

Jessica's feet being analyzed

This was all very exhausting for Andrew

She also got her first foam roller for her IT band issues, and I assured her, it would change her life!

This weekend, Jessica and I also helped my mom discover Ann Taylor Loft! We all found so many great things, Jessica and I both got this cute tunic in navy blue. I also got this tank top in gray to wear with blazers and sweaters, the ruffles make it super flattering.

Due to the foot+ of snow that was forecast to hit the Twin Cities Sunday, I had to leave on an early Sunday morning flight out of Kansas City, much earlier than I had originally booked. It's a good thing I did too, because all other flights that day to Minneapolis out of Kansas City were canceled.

I also discovered that you can actually find relatively healthy food to keep you full in the airport. Although I had packed snacks, and eaten some oatmeal before I left, I was in need of substance, and I found this, perfect!

We had a bumpy ride into MSP, and when I arrived the snow was falling in huge, blowing chunks. Ben picked me up from the airport with Cooper, and the roads were already horrible.

Snowy drive home

Later that afternoon, having no staples to make lunch, and no gumption to go grocery shopping, we decided to hit up Chipotle, and I discovered they now sell mini bags of chips because of their kid's meals. Perfect for when you're craving chips, but don't want to OD on the salty goodness of a huge bag of them.

This mini bag runs $.80 plus tax

I've also recently discovered my love for skinny black pants, and that it's an art to find great ones. That you have to find ones that don't have too much stretch, and ones that don't make you lay down on your bed to zip them up. So far, my favorites are The Really Skinny Pants in True Black from Gap and the Jolt Double Button Skinny Pants from Nordstrom.

I bought them both in my same size as regular pants. I've found that a lot of people buy skinny jeans and pants a size higher, thinking they need too, but then when the pants stretch you're left with baggy excess material in the crotch and butt, and it just looks and feesl awful!

Also, the Gap offers different lengths, so if your height and weight don't match up to the national average that they size things at, you're in luck. Nordstrom shortened my Jolt pants for free, as I found out they offer free alterations on all regular priced items. The Gap, also often has coupons for regular priced items or discount plus days for on sale items that could make these pants a steal.

Did you discover anything new and fun this weekend? It's the little things like all of these that get me excited and keep life interesting. =)

I'm full!

2011-02-15T14:45:00.005-05:00

As of recently, I've been eating pretty crappy. Usually, I can strike a good balance, eating out and splurging when with friends periodically, but packing healthy lunches and making lean dinners at home the other nights.

Lately though, I've been so bored with my routine, forgetting to pack lunches (sometimes on purpose), not feeling inspired to cook things, and boy, can I tell in how my body looks and feels.

Sure, I've been doing pretty well on my 60 Salads in 60 Days, but I need a kick in the rear. So, recently I found this easy little recipe for White Bean Salad with Tuna and Avocado from Kate in the Kitchen, and I decided to try it myself. Tuna has never appealed to me, so I made it with canned chicken instead. It seemed like the perfect mix of protein, fiber, and good fats, plus the garlic and thyme would give it a kick. Also, Kate had told me it's a meal that keeps her full all afternoon.

I brought a cup of it for lunch today, paired with a serving of Kashi crackers, and the delicious factor was out of this world. Plus, it kept me full!! Finally! It's amazing what eating something more than empty carbs can do!

It may not look pretty, but yum!

I figured out the nutrition facts through the Spark People Recipe Calculator for One Cup of this Salad, and here it is:

Calories	286	Sodium	239 mg
Total Fat	11 g	Potassium	433 mg
Saturated	2 g	Total Carbs	28 g
Polyunsaturated	1 g	Dietary Fiber	13 g
Monounsaturated	2 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	20 g
Cholesterol	29 mg

Pizzeria Lola & Cocina del Barrio Reviews

2011-02-13T19:11:00.009-05:00

Recently, I checked out a few relatively new restaurants in the area, that I had to update you all on.

First, a few girlfriends I checkout Pizzeria Lola in Southwest Minneapolis. If you check out the website, be sure to read the owner's story, it's amazing about quitting the climb up the corporate latter and pursuing her dream of a restaurant.

The food there was amazing! We started with two pizzas to split between the four of us, the Seasonal Pizza that contained: Butternut squash, spaghetti squash, brown butter, Taleggio & sage. Plus, the Sweet Italian that was topped with a delicious red sauce, smooth mozzarella, onions, provolone and sausage.

The Seasonal Pizza, hands down, a favorite

As wonderful as the pizza was, the dessert is what really took the cake here. They have a house made, soft-serve ice cream that was beyond words. So creamy and smooth, I can't even begin to describe how delicious it tasted. Plus, the fresh and warm chocolate chip cookies we paired it with, made it even more wonderful.

My mouth is watering just looking at this right now

I'm a gal who lives for dessert, and this was right up my alley.

This week, Ben and I tried the latest addition to the Barrio franchise, Cocina del Barrio in Edina with some friends. This Barrio is more food centric, with more food options, but still has a great drink menu and tequila selection like the other locations.

We started with their delicious chips, salsa and guacamole, which are seriously some of the best I've ever had no matter which location you go to.

For the main course, Ben had the Chicken Tostada and a Skirt Steak Taco. He liked both, but said he felt the tostada was built up with a lot of greens and didn't have a lot on the meat side to give it substance.

Ben and his Tostada

I had the Pork Carnitas Taco and the Potato Sopes. The Potato Sopes were filled with Goat Cheese, and a spicy salsa, and I just loved them! I was so glad I took a leap to try something brand new.

Potato Sopes

I absolutely love trying out new restaurants with friends, especially during these cold, winter months when we all feel so trapped in doors. Going to Barrio this past week was a great way to break up the work week, where we can fall into such a boring routine. We left that night feeling fat and happy!

Kettlebell Workout

2011-02-08T15:29:00.002-05:00

This past summer, I tried a Kettlebells intro class at my gym. I did the intro, and liked it, but then got the sales pitch, that in order to continue with Kettlebells, I had to pay so much per class. Bologna! Not going to happen with how much I already pay for the gym, and there are plenty of great classes that already come with my membership.

However, I spotted this Kettlebell set at Target, and decided to give it a whirl, for when I needed a nice workout at home, and last night was just that night. With it feeling like -14 with the wind chill, I knew my running clinic wouldn't hit the trails, so tonight was the perfect night to finally break out my Kettlebell DVD. I only had 20 minutes to do it, but dang, did I get in a workout.

Source

The DVD starts off with the intro to the exercises, then goes in to routines. Just doing 20 minutes of the DVD my heart was pumping! Working with the Kettlebell does a great job of working multiple parts of your body at a time, and is something different than regular strength training.

I really liked this workout, and thought it wasn't difficult to pick up on. I'd highly recommend picking up this kit for the $30 price tag. I would suggest that you get the product in the store, rather than online, so that you can try out the different weights and see which one will work best for you.

Caramels and Snow Shoeing

2011-02-07T19:02:00.014-05:00

This weekend was jam packed with fun, but first things first...

THE GREEN BAY PACKERS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!

I am obviously beyond thrilled about this, I may live in Minnesota, but I've been a Green Bay Packer fan all of my life, and sometime I will tell you all why I love them so much, and how sweet victories like this are to Packer fans.

Saturday afternoon I had a great afternoon making caramels and enjoying small talk with Kate and Elle, and Elle's daughter Olive over at Kate's house.

Kate hard at work on the caramels

I had never made homemade caramels, and had a hankering to learn, so Kate took me under her wing to learn. How fun, and they turned out delicious!

The finished product!

Ben and I finished off the caramels I brought home before half time on Sunday Night

Saturday night, Ben and I rented snow shoes and went to the Luminary Loppet in Minneapolis. It's a fun cross country ski and snow shoe event, where they set up ice luminary's around Lake of the Isles and then open up the lake for everyone to enjoy. It was SUCH a fun and different way to spend a Saturday Night.

Afterward, we went to the Uptown Cafeteria, where I had fried Chicken and Waffles and washed it down with a tasty fruity drink!

So, basically any calories I burned while snow shoeing around that night, I packed right back on. But, if you've never had fried chicken and waffles before, I highly recommend it! It may seem like a weird combination, but the salty and the sweet are great. Apparently it's a food delicacy that started at a placed called Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in LA. I mixed the gravy AND the syrup on top of the chicken and waffles, yum!

Lastly, the winners of the Chobani Give Away are in! They are..

Michelle by Milwaukee & Marsha!

Congrats you two! Leave a comment with your e-mail address and we'll e-mail about getting those coupons from Chobani to you. Thanks everyone who entered!

My Big Fat Greek Yogurt Give Away

2011-01-31T21:30:00.007-05:00

I feel as if in the past two years, people have gone crazy over Greek yogurt. I had never heard about it until I started working out and tracking my nutrition through Team Fitness at Lifetime Fitness, but it sounded intriguing.

The pro's I heard about:

High Protein
Low Sugar
Very Filling

Cons:

It tastes terrible

So, I bought some plain, 0% Greek yogurt, and with no add ins, it didn't taste that great. It was very tart/sour, but thick and smooth, something I love in yogurt, but thought I had had to give up for a non-fatty yogurt. So, I started mixing the greek yogurt with fruit, granola, honey, etc. and it tasted great!

That's where Chobani comes in. Recently I found their Greek yogurt flavors with fruit on the bottom, yum!!

Their multiple fruit flavors are delicious mixed with granola or Kashi, and give me enough protein with the cereal to be a great breakfast. I actually crave eating this yogurt, this is nuts!

Check out the nutrition facts in one carton of their Strawberry Yogurt:
Plus, there are SO many different flavors! (Yes, Chobani sent me these flavors to try, who knew there were so many?!)

The nice folks at Chobani want you to be a Greek Yogurt addict too, so they've donated two sets of six coupons for free cartons of their yogurt to be sent to two different readers.

Here's how you can try to win:

Go to http://www.chobani.com/ and tell me what flavor you want to try
Tell me how you would eat the yogurt: plain, with cereal, with extra fruit, etc?
"Like" Chobani on Facebook
Be a public follower of this blog

Leave a separate comment for each entry, and then there are FOUR ways you can win.

Here is the fine print: This giveaway is open U.S. Residents only. Entries must be received by Sunday, February 6 at 11:00 p.m. Central Time. A random winner will be announced by Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by 11:00 p.m. Central Time and the winner has until Friday, February 11, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Central to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

The Marathon Debate

2011-01-27T19:32:00.006-05:00

I've been going back and forth the past couple of weeks about running a second marathon this fall. See, as far off as it seems, entries for the fall ones I am interested in open next week, and they can fill up quick.

I'm torn because, I didn't have a great finishing time for my first marathon, and I want to beat that. Sure, I was suffering from bursitis, my foot started killing me during the race and ended up being a stress reaction, I could have all the excuses in the book, and frankly, I'm still thrilled a finished a marathon when three years ago I could barely run a mile.

However, I'd like to improve that finishing time, and feel that with my experience from training last year, I've learned a thing or two about listening to my body and how to prepare for a race of this magnitude and not end up injured (or at least AS injured).

That said, I also know how my body felt last year while training, and how shredded it was after the race.

I also know what a huge time commitment a marathon is, with planning long runs, and having to get them in, even if I'm out of town for a weekend or something, and the way it affects both Ben and I's social lives, which are very important to us.

Additionally, I worry that if I don't run a marathon again this year, I'll never do it again, because I'll never think I'll be able to again with further commitments and as my body reacts to having children in a few years.

The thing that is really pushing me to run a marathon again, is that feeling of finishing. It was worth every Friday night in bed at 9PM, every muscle ache and every insurance copay at the physical therapist to cross that finish line. I told Ben yesterday, I've never felt both so dead, and alive, in my life as I did while crossing that finish line, it was amazing to feel that I could really do anything if I worked hard enough.

So, here I am, going back and forth. I'm leaning towards doing it, and doing the Twin Cities Marathon, as it's economical, I get to sleep in my own bed the night before, and for some reason doesn't seem like it will be as much pressure (maybe because it's not the first one this time).

I'd love to hear your thoughts and what has made multiple marathons go back for more!

Sugar High

2011-01-25T20:29:00.006-05:00

I have to admit to you all, that while I was writing about the 60 Salads in 60 Days, I was coming off a day of not so figure friendly concoctions.

I spent much of Sunday afternoon (prior to the AWESOME Green Bay Packers Victory!!) over at Muddy Paws Cheesecake in St. Louis Park baking and cookie decorating with some lovely ladies.

The owner, Tami offered up her kitchen for us to fuss around in, and also offered up cheesecake, how could we pass that up?

I made my huge chocolate chip cookies I told you all about earlier this month.

Why yes, I did pair my Anthropologie Apron with my Ray Nitschke Jersey! I'm Sporty AND Domestic!

I also attempted to frost some Valentine's Day Cookies that looked as if a first grader wrote them out!

The Baking Beauties!
Me, Liz, Tami, Anna
Darci & Kate

So, after all this lovely baking, and sampling, you can see why I wanted to start consuming more vegetables, and so far, I'm two for two on the 60 salads.

In fact, in wanting to copy the lovely Lime Vinaigrette Dressing Masa uses on their Jicama Mango Salad, I created my own this weekend! I'm not a usual recipe creator, just a follower of others, so here is my rough recipe. This makes about two-three salads worth of dressing depending on how you like it:

Lime Vinaigrette Dressing Ala Alexa

Combine:

The Juice of one Blood Orange
The Zest of one Orange (you can use the same orange you juiced)
The Juice of two Limes
A small squeeze of Honey from the Bear
A generous drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Small Dash of Giada's Raspberry Vinaigrette (found at Target)

Mix Together with a whisk and enjoy!

I hope this delicious, sweet dressing helps make your 60 salads in 60 days easier to manage!

Sixty Salads in Sixty Days

2011-01-23T19:18:00.005-05:00

This weekend, my friend Meghan and I attended a spin class at my gym, that I've always heard was hard to get into, but the instructor was amazing. So, this weekend, we got there 45 minutes early, waited for the doors to open from the last spin class, and ran in to grab our bikes.

Sure enough, the class was great, super motivating teacher, and awesome music that would keep me pumped up during an individual workout, let alone spin class! I burned over 500 calories in that class, and then followed it up with yoga, I can't wait to go back!

At the end of the class, the teacher mentioned a page he created on Facebook for a new challenge starting Monday, January 24: Sixty Salads in Sixty Days.

The concept is at it sounds, eat one salad a day for sixty days. He gave the example of going out to lunch with a friend, and instead of getting a burger and tater tots like he normally would, he ordered a salad, was still full, and felt great about it.

Source

Of course, the Midwestern mayonnaise based "salads" don't count, and you need to get the dressing on the side and all that jazz to keep the salad challenge healthy, but I decided that I'm up for it, and joined the Facebook page to show it. I'll check back with you to let you all know how it goes!

Also, speaking of salads, this past Friday I had a great one that's new at Panera, the Thai Chopped Chicken Salad. I got both the dressings on the side, and glad I did because it has a spicy kick, but man, it was delicious! I highly recommend this next time you're looking for a great meal on the run.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

2011-01-18T21:35:00.006-05:00

I am all about health, getting healthy, staying healthy, being active. But people, I deny myself nothing when I'm craving it, and this recipe had me hankering for these cookies.

Last week, I made these Big Chocolate Chip Cookies from My Baking Addiction, and let me tell you, it was like heaven in my kitchen, and in my mouth.

They were moist, perfectly chewy, and Alexa sized (ie HUGE). I ate two last night, and half of one this morning, and have now removed them from our house by sending them with my husband to work, there is something called too much of a good thing you know.

But, if you need a treat to bring to a party, or a bake sale, or anything really, these are an A+ winner!

My coworker Jody thought they were bought from a bakery!

And, if you'd like a healthier, main dish recipe, here's one from Giada De Laurentis that's a stand by for me. I usually add extra green beans, use light ricotta, and add zuchini too to up the healthy factor. Mmmmm, now I want to make this!

Yesterday while off work, I also watched Going The Distance that I had picked up from the Red Box. LOVE! It was so funny and cute! I think even Ben would have liked it, but I let him miss out on this chick flick.

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Also, we have a winner for the Sahale Snacks give away! The winner is....

Anna From, Girl with a Blog!

Anna, leave me a comment with your e-mail and we'll get it touch, congrats!

Rocky Mountain High

2011-01-17T14:08:00.009-05:00

This past weekend I went to Denver to visit my old running pal Katy. I've mentioned her before, she moved there this past August with her husband. She told me I always had an open invitation to visit, so with cheap plane tickets, and since I've never been there before, I was more than ready to head out-- bet she never thought I'd really take her up on the deal!

Saturday morning, we did what we do best, and ran a five mile race in a near by suburb, it was a great gravel trail that felt good on my joints, and it was the perfect temperatures for running, high 30's.

Around Mile Two

Katy had to educate me, that with the elevation and the hot sun, 30's there were different from Minnesota, and she was right. I wore two long sleeve shirts, a capri skort and a headband and it was perfect.

Post Race Glow

Katy and I did SO many fun things in the 48 hours I was in Denver, and I won't bore you with all the details, but by far the best, was going to the original Chipotle near the Denver University campus.

1644 East Evans, Denver, Colorado

We had worked up an appetite after running, so we went there Saturday afternoon, and I immediately started snapping pictures of the little space that started it all. The friendly staff offered to take us on a tour of the restaurant, when they saw how excited I was about being there, and before we knew it, we were climbing down a narrow metal stairway, into the low ceiling basement that started the burrito phenomenon.

The basement office where Chipotle was born

It was great to see the manager who showed us around be so enthusiastic about his employer and what he does, and tell us how well they treat their employees.

The best part of the visit was that people who are obvious Chipotle fanatics like us, then get to sign the wall downstairs where so many other fans, the CEO, and the original employees signed.

Leaving my mark at the first Chipotle

Also, the manager then told us, that because we made that special visit to the Flagship Restaurant, and were versed in the company history, we were now part of an elite Chipotle fan club, and got these shirts that only people who tour the restaurant get to mark our trip.

The shirts say, "I made the pilgrimage to Evans" (the street the original Chipotle is on).

The weekend wrapped up with shopping, more great food, and watching a Packer victory on Katy and her husband's amazing TV (seriously, 60 inches, LED--does it get much better?) I had such a great time, and can't wait for Katy and Jon to come back this summer so Katy and I can run together again!

The Boyfriend Weight

2011-01-13T16:27:00.006-05:00

Did any of you check out the celebrity weight loss special on ABC last week? It was a good report about the pressure to stay thin in America, and especially for celebrities, and the lengths they'll take to get and stay thin, along with the backlash they feel from critics when they gain weight. If you haven't seen this, here it is available via Hulu on Nightline.

I was struck by former Girl Next Door Kendra, and her work to get the weight off after she had her son, and the way some people insulted her as no longer being a sexy because she's a mom.

But, I was most struck by Ali Fedotowsky who I learned was on The Bachelorette (sorry, just not a fan). She moved in with her pick on the show, and fiancee, Roberto Martinez and spoke of how she gained "the boyfriend weight" over those first few months.

Hearing this term, my ears perked up immediately, because I've TOTALLY been there. You don't want to be the stick in the mud who turns down the late night pizza or ice cream requests from your faster metabolizing boyfriend, and you don't want to get out of bed in the morning to go to the gym, when you can sleep in late with the man that you're crazy for!

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So, Ali spoke of how late night pizzas, and decreased activity led her to gain weight, and it was a smack in the face when she realized what had happened. Personally, I don't know how Ali could EVER look out of shape, even in the pictures she showed of herself during her unhealthy stage, but she wasn't feeling great, and had to step it up she realized.

Six months into dating Ben, I felt like I was in a similar boat, I had lost weight post college, but as the holidays ended that year, I noticed I was well on my way to putting it back on. That January, I did a three month Team Fitness program at Lifetime Fitness where I tracked my food and activity; I also started running for the first time then. This really got me kick started on healthiness, and has helped fuel this passion since then.

Have you ever felt, "The Boyfriend Weight" when in a new relationship? Or, the new job stress weight, or the moving to a new city weight? What do you do to combat it and keep on track?

Sahale Snacks Give Away

2011-01-12T22:13:00.005-05:00

As I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, easy and healthy snacks are an awesome find. They make staying on track when time is tight a simpiler task, and help you from not adding needless, pesky calories to your diet.

That's why I like Sahale Snacks (I sound like an infomercial...). They're basically nut and fruit blends that jazz up your usual attempts to eat nuts for a filling, high protein snack. I've tried many of their flavors, and never been disappointed. From spicy barbecue type flavors, to sweet and salty ones, I really like the variety.

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So, now here's your chance to win some Sahale Snacks to keep you on track with your healthiness! You'll win a full size bag, and a travel size bag, but both are easy to take on the go.

There are three ways you can win, and you need a separate comment for each entry:

Tweet About This Give Away and link your tweet saying, "@AlexaTC is sponsoring a Sahale Snacks Give Away! Check it out if you like to get nutty! http://tinyurl.com/4crrkx6"
Check out Sahale Snacks Website and tell which flavor you'd like to try
Publicly Follow This Blog

Here is the fine print: This giveaway is open U.S. Residents only. Entries must be received by Monday, January 17, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. A random winner will be announced by Tuesday, January 18, 2011 by 7:00 p.m. Central Time and the winner has until Friday, January 21, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Central to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

*Sahale Snacks gave me these samples to try and review, and I'm sharing them with you. These opinions are ALL mine*

Cheap and Easy (Recipe) & A Fashion Dilemma

2011-01-05T17:08:00.009-05:00

If you're looking for an easy, affordable meal that makes delicious leftovers, boy do I have it for you today (I could write promotions for TV!). I am absolutely in love with Martha Stewart's Tortilla Soup with Black Beans.

I found this recipe a year or so ago, and it's become a favorite in our house. It costs roughly $8-$10 to make a whole pot of it, it takes about $15 minutes to make, and most of that time is just letting the ingredients boil, and it feeds Ben and I two bowls each usually, and still leaves three more bowls to be frozen for quick meals and lunches in the future. Because of the low sodium chicken broth, the soup isn't very salty, and the crushed chips on top add the perfect amount of salt. If you wanted to make it vegetarian, you could use Vegetable Stock, or if you wanted to make it more hardy, I'm sure you could add shredded chicken.

In my fashion obsession news, I've got pieces I'm currently obsessing over from Nordstrom. Here is my thing, I'm always looking for something new, fresh and better fashion wise, and it can be totally great, or it can be totally awful when I'm hankering for things I cannot afford. Take this super cute headband, it's $38, which for a headband, seems ridiculous, but my goodness, is that cute.

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Or, this top that would totally flattering on my figure, and would be a great outfit all on it's own with skinny jeans and boots.

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So, yes, look at my first world problems, I want a shirt that hides my bad parts and a sparkly overpriced headband, but know I shouldn't spend the money. Poor me, cry, cry cry.

My point IS, I found this little ditty recently through #stylechat on Twitter, Fabuliss. Basically the owner, Sasha, will come to your home, help you find outfits, styles and fashion within your own closet, she helps you utilize and organize what you have. Sasha gives style tips, outfit ideas, based on what you have within your closet, to get that idea out of your head that gets a person spending in the first place, "I have nothing to wear."

Of course, no business is for free though, and a two hour closet consultation is $200... yikes. But, if it helps me spend less, than isn't this a good thing?! This is the rationale I'm going to have to discuss with my husband. And frankly, even if I was a single girl, I'd be mulling this over, so this isn't a "my husband controls my money" issue, no, no, no.

What do you think?

Is a closet consultation worth $200 if it helps you utilize clothes, shoes & accessories you already have? Do you think it will really stop a person from spending as much on new clothes? Ultimately, will you get a return on your $200 investment?

Leave your comments below, I'd LOVE to hear them!

Right about now, I wish I wore a uniform to work, then I wouldn't have to deal with this! :p

Mozza Mia and New Give Away Winner

2011-01-03T13:53:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, I went on a lovely "date" with my pal Lindsay, you may remember me mentioning her a few weeks back, as she helped do my hair and makeup for Ben's work Holiday party. I LOVE getting together with her. We started our night going to a new restaurant in Edina, Mozza Mia; the restaurant's specialty is their house made mozzarella. Of course, I forgot to take many pictures, but we had a a couple of drinks, and started with the Fresh mozzarella, arugula, pear tomato, cremoso cheese, balsamic. Since I don't like arugula, we asked for the pizza without it, and the waitress was in a tither. She didn't know "how they could make it without it," so then we said, OK, just half with arugula. Roughly 60 minutes later (no lie, one hour) our pizza arrived, after the waitress informed us after 40 minutes of waiting that they had messed up our order in the kitchen. After seeing the pizza (man, I wish I would have taken a picture!) neither Lindsay nor I were sure how they couldn't comprehend making it without arugula, it was just placed on top.

All in all, it was good food and drink, nothing that was amazing, and I wouldn't pay the $10 for that tiny Bellini again, but if someone said, "hey, let's go there," I would go, but I won't go back on my own accord.

After dinner, we went to the local cheap seats theater to see "Morning Glory," having worked in the television news business, I found it really funny! I think others would like it as well, you just may not get the little inside things that get mentioned.

Also, the winner for the Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs never contacted me on time, so the new winner is Leashieloo! Be sure to leave a comment with your e-mail and we'll get in touch!

New, Deliciously Healthy Food Finds

2011-01-02T16:02:00.007-05:00

Happy 2011!! I hope the New Year is starting off great for all of you. I had a blast New Year's Eve enjoying cocktails, pizza, champagne and of course great friends!

I woke up New Year's Day with a dry mouth and a little fuzzy minded, but got the year started off right, buy going to spin class with Jen later that afternoon.

Recently, I've found some great, new (to me at least) convenient healthy food options, I had to share with you all. One is Annie Chuns soups. I saw them advertised through Hungry Girl, and knew I had seen them at Super Target before, so I thought, "meh, why not?" It was a great choice! Recently I had their Hot and Sour Soup for dinner when I didn't feel like making a big meal, delicious and easy!

Annie Chuns Hot and Sour Soup

The whole bowl had 280 Calories, 2 grams of fat, and 56 grams of carbs.

I also recently had the new flavor of Luna Bars, the Chocolate Dipped Coconut, I spotted this today at Whole Foods, and quickly scooped it up! I'm a huge coconut fan, and had had my eye out for this new flavor since I heard it was coming out a few months ago.

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Of course, it's not like eating an Almond Joy or anything, but it still tastes great! One bar has 190 Calories, 7 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein.

Are any of you new years resolution makers? Do you have any resolutions your making? Mine are usual goals I already have, that I'm trying to make better on, eating at home more, mixing more fruits and vegetables into my diet, and reducing spending on frivolous things.

By the way, I did pretty well on my pledge to not by coffee in December, I only bought it twice, which is progress compared to buying it three or four days a week! I plan to keep going on reducing my spend on things like coffee, going out to lunch, snack foods, etc.

2010

2010-12-31T13:03:00.008-05:00

Here we are, New Year's Eve, time to look back and look ahead. 2010 has been truly amazing for me, there are so many reasons why. It will be hard for 2011 to top this year, but I'm hopeful for another great year ahead. So, in pictures and tidbits, here's why 2010was amazing:

First, the obvious fact why 2010 rocked, I started this blog, hello!!

My amazing friends who through me this great bachlorette party

The lovely women I met through this blog who threw me this surprise wedding shower/Mexican Fiesta

Marrying the greatest man in the world. Spending this holiday season with him has reminded me how lucky I am to have him

Then going on amazing Honeymoon together in Maui

My nephew, Andrew Edwin Enzo, being born on August 25, he is so cute, smart and happy

Training for, and completing, my first marathon. What an incredible journey!

And of course my baby Coopair, he makes every day brighter!

All of you made 2010 great! I'm so thankful for all of you readers, and get forward to sharing more time with you in 2011!! Make it a safe, and wonderful New Year!

2011 Races

2010-12-29T10:05:00.005-05:00

Along with teaching my 10K clinic this winter, I'm putting out there what races I'd like to complete this coming year. I'm trying to cut back on spending on needless ones, but there are some ones I'm for sure doing!

January 15: Frosty's Frozen Five Mile in Denver, CO
February 12: TC Marathon Valentine's Day 5K in Minneapolis MN
March 19: Team Ortho Lucky 7K in Minneapolis, MN
May 1: La Crosse Fitness Festival Half Marathon in La Crosse, WI
May 20: Fargo Half Marathon in Fargo, ND
September 10: Bear Water 20 Mile Run in White Bear Lake, MN
October 3: Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (This one is a TBD)

I am also still contemplating doing the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco on October 16, but I will have to see on that as well. I'd like to do the half, so I won't be as warn out, or resting up, from the race and can experience more of the city of San Fran.

Holiday Hangover

2010-12-29T09:19:00.004-05:00

OK, Christmas is over, it's that week in between. New Year's Eve has yet to arrive, I'm at work for 2.5 days this week, and most everyone else is off. I love these weeks. The office is quieter, I can run my errands during lunch break without all the crowds, and we get to dress casual, score!

Christmas was really nice. We left Boise the day after Christmas on a 10:30 a.m. flight, so we had to be up and at 'em to pack pretty early that morning. It was hard to leave, we had such a nice visit. Ben's mom surprised us all with pajamas on Christmas Eve to wear while we opened presents the next day. All the girls had matching tops, and so did the boys, and then we all had different holiday themed PJ pants.

Ben and I exchanged gifts before we left for Christmas, and I love when we do this! Since our condo has no fire place, we hang our stockings from the island in our kitchen, and stuff them with little treats. This year, I stuffed Ben's with: gum, dark chocolate, shampoo and vodka. He seemed to enjoy that. =)

Ben is also the king of creative Christmas tags, he likes to mix it up. I've always saved the one from our first Christmas together. We had been dating six months, and he got me a Ray Nitschke throw back jersey (a former Green Bay Packer great for all you non-NFL fans). I was so shocked, surprised and happy that this Vikings fan would go out on a limb to get me this jersey.

I've saved the tag from that gift, because I absolutely loved it. This was the first year Ben experienced my true love for the holiday season, so he kindly tagged that gift for "Miss Xmas." I've had that tag pinned on the fridge since that Christmas Day 2007. It even successfully made the move from my little apartment in Uptown, to our place when we moved in together.

This Christmas I added a special tag to go along side of that first Christmas tag that Ben created:

(Please ignore the "Jimmy is a Pyro" magnet as the child pictured sets a dollhouse on fire, that's another story)

I love the little things like these tags that remind me how happy I am to have such a great husband, and great family and friends during the holiday season! I hope you all had a great holiday and were able at least get a little extra time off from work.

Now, I need to cut back on my cookie in-take and start spending my gift cards!

Greetings from the Gem State

2010-12-23T14:26:00.014-05:00

Ben and I flew out to his parents house in Boise, Idaho yesterday to spend Christmas with his family. It was our first time flying with Cooper, and he did great; I love that they allow small animals in the cabin with you! However, it was an experience bringing the extra stuff for him, and getting through security and all with him, I can't imagine flying with a child, or multiple children!

The weather here is fantastic, it reminds me of late October/Early November in Minnesota. 35-40 degrees during the day, no wind, lots of sun. They have some snow on the ground here right now, but even that is pretty rare for them. I went for a 2.75 mile run this morning on the trails, and it felt fantastic, just look how beautiful it is running by the river.

Speaking of running, I had a guest post on Prior Fat Girl this week talking about my marathon training journey, and encouraging others in the Twin Cities area to join the 5K and 10K run clinics starting January 3rd. If you're still interested, leave a comment with your contact info and I'll send you the details.

Also, I completely forgot to list the Panko Lemon Pepper winner earlier this week, how absent minded am I?! I guess it's the holidays and preparing for this trip that had it slipping my mind... sure, we'll blame that! =)

Anyway, the random winner is... Jenny!

Jenny said, "I would use the panko crumbs on fish, bass and sunnies. We have a stock pile from fishing this summer."

Congrats Jenny! Leave a comment with your e-mail address by 11:59 p.m. central time on December 31, 2010 and I'll get your contact info to send to the good people at My Blog Spark.

The Fighter

2010-12-20T21:40:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Ben and I went to see the new movie out, The Fighter, it's based on the true story of two half-brothers, living in the Boston area training to be boxers. The older brother Dicky, played by Christian Bail, is the washed-up has been, who's addicted to crack and trains his younger brother Micky, played by Mark Wahlberg. The film also co-stars Amy Adams, of Drop Dead Gorgeous fame, as Micky's girlfriend, Charlene.

I'm not a fan of boxing, or professional fighting in any means, but I had heard the acting in this movie was superb, and it's more of a story about over coming obstacles, and letting nothing stand in your way, along with a unique family dynamic, and that's what led me to go see it. I often covered my eyes during the boxing scenes, as the sport is just too brutal for my taste.

The acting, however, did not disappoint. Mark Walhberg seemed to effortlessly play the character of Micky, and there are many articles out there right now, about how he fought to get into pristine physical shape for this role, and to get the movie made at all. Amy Adams is a foul-mouthed, no excuses woman, who lost her shot at an athletic or academic future, and now has put all her chips on Micky.

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By far, the best acting came from Christian Bale though. It's obvious to see the physical changes he went through for this role, but the way that he can morph into the character of Dicky Eklund, is amazing. From watching him play Lori in Little Women, to Batman, and now this, it has been proven, he is an amazing actor.

Another great part of this movie, that you may not hear about from other critics, is that it's based in the 1990's and the fashion is freaking hilarious. Guess jean skirts, Body Suits, BAD hair, acid washed jeans, belly tops, etc. Some of it may have been more local with their Massachusetts neighborhood, but man, was that fun to watch as well.

I highly recommend going to see this movie, if you want great story line, great acting, and a movie that leaves you feeling as if you can over come just about anything, this is for you.

The Party of All Parties

2010-12-19T20:33:00.010-05:00

Every year, Ben's work hosts a fabulous Holiday party. One of those, that in these economic times, most companies don't host anymore, and let me say, I'm soooo glad his employer has continued the tradition of this party!

It's held each year, the Saturday before Christmas at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Women wear fancy dresses, men wear suits, and it feels like a real night out on the town! This past weekend, Ben and I attended, and can I just say, the party was even better than ever this year!

My preps started with my friend Lindsay coming over to help me do my hair and make up.

Thanks Lindsay!!

The party starts every year with a shrimp buffet that is usually talked about all year long leading up to the party. There are rumors the shrimp is flown in that morning from the east coast; I'm not sure where it comes from, but let me tell you, it's delicious.

Following the awesome cocktail hour, is a delicious dinner. This year, Ben and I sat with a table of many fun people, some I've known for years, some we just met that night!

Following the delicious three course dinner, there is, you guessed it, more food! Each year they have a dessert buffet that could have me up a pant size in about five minutes. This year, it included a fruit cobbler bar. Many different types of fruit cobblers for the choosing (cherry, blueberry, peach, apple cranberry, etc.) and people there to top it with ice cream and whipped cream!

I was so impressed by the cobbler bar, I had to pose with it!

I had the apple cranberry cobbler, topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

That, along with my four glasses (yes, FOUR) of Sangria, had me on a sugar buzz like no other (I subsequently crashed from it around 1:15 a.m.).

The last part of the night is the best part, and of course I have no pictures of it-- the casino night. You can play the tables, and win more raffle tickets for the wide array of prizes they have to offer at the end of the night; playing black jack, without the consequences of real money!

Plus, I guess I got lucky somehow, during the raffle I won a $50 gas card, and a $50 gift card to a local restaurant, alright!

So, that pretty much sums up my weekend. Does your work have holiday parties? Are you doing anything special at work this week get in the spirit of the season??

I have a confession to make...

2010-12-17T11:02:00.006-05:00

I love fashion. Not just like fashion, LOVE it. Not those runway, crazy fashions that you could never actually wear in real life. But, the little trends, that make my day, and that I can wear functionally to work, or out to dinner with friends. I'm obsessed.

I've read that people who love shopping, love it because when they see a certain outfit, pair or shoes, piece of jewelery, etc. they envision a fantasy of what they'll do in that piece; how it will make their lives better, or a new version of themselves they can be with this new addition to their wardrobe. That is TOTALLY me.

Since getting married and combining finances, my husband has helped bring me back down to earth on the spending of "Keeping up with the Joneses" trends, and I actually appreciate it (sometimes). I've found so many fun things to do with the stuff in my closet I already have, fun new combinations, tops I've worn once that pulled out and accessorized feel brand new to me!

There are certain blogs I follow to keep up on their fashion: Much love, Lily and Economy of Style, to name a couple. And, don't be surprised if I see a picture on your blog, or your facebook page, of you wearing an item I like, if I e-mail and ask where you got it. Consider it a compliment when I'm sporting that same piece a week later. =)

Just this week I bought these Rocket Dog Boots:

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And last week, I had to have this Banana Republic Dress (and I got it at 40% off to boot)

So, what's the point of this post? I feel like I haven't explained to you my readers, this big part of my life so far. How, a lot of times when I'm working out, it's because I want my clothes to look good and feel good on me (don't we all!?); it's a huge motivation for me to keep going. Yes, I want to be healthy, and live a long life and fitness along with healthy eating will help with that, but I want to look good doing it!

Just last week when I bought that dress pictured above from Banana Republic, I tweeted my joy afterward when I had to buy a smaller dress size instead of my normal one. Now, THAT is a great feeling! I read in the book Eating Thin for Life that people who realize that these bigger victories, like buying a smaller size, not feeling overweight, etc. more than the immediate gratification of eating unhealthy foods, are the ones who ultimately succeed in the weight game, and that theme has really rang true for me.

So, if you see me at Mall of America this weekend, know that I'll be Christmas shopping... but keeping my eye on the fashions for me as well (and as Carrie Bradshaw said, "shopping is my cardio!").

A Dinner Give Away

2010-12-12T22:55:00.004-05:00

I don't even know where to begin on this weekend, we got a foot and a half of snow in Minneapolis. My husband walked to Dominos to get our dinner since I didn't plan well enough to have food in the house during the "snownami." The Metrodome's roof fell in, and my Vikings loving husband is dismal about it.

BUT, I did get SO many things done around the house being snowed in. My parents were here and we baked, and cleaned, got copious amounts of laundry done, and that reminded me of this great give away I have for you folks!

Winter is the time to make delicious, warm meals when we're indoors together, and Progresso has these new Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs to help spice up your cooking.

As a always trying to be healthy eater, when I hear "breaded" I cringe, so I was skeptical about this product. But, I used the bread crumbs, mixed with some egg whites, and put them on some chicken breasts and baked them up, and it was delicious! Not bad on the nutrition charts either!

So, the folks over at Blog Spark are giving you the chance to win these Lemon Pepper Bread Crumbs to try in your kitchen, and TV Chef Michael Chiarello's book on Italian cooking and wine.

There are two ways you can win:

Subscribe and follow this blog
Tell me how you would use the Lemon Pepper Panko Bread Crumbs in your cooking

A separate comment is needed for each entry.

Entries must be received by Sunday December 19, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. A random winner will be announced by Monday, December 20, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time and the winner have until Monday, December 27, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Central to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

*The information on this product, and the items to giveaway were all given to me from General Mills through MyBlogSpark, but the review of the product is all my own.

Cookie Swap!

2010-12-08T21:42:00.005-05:00

On the theme of the holidays again, this past weekend I attended my friend Molly's annual Cookies and Cocktails party at her house. Each person brings a different recipe, and the ingredients and makes cookies, and we divide them up at the end and each go home with a bunch of different Christmas cookies!

As you can imagine, the temptations run high here, I'm a sugar freak, and I sampled a few of the cookies throughout the day.

All the baking gals making the yearly Corn Flake Wreaths

I made these Paradise Macaroons, courtesy of Mellisa at a Fit and Spicy Life. She raved about them on her blog, and I love coconut, so I had to try them, and they turned out great!

With my lovely macaroons

We also ordered Chinese food from Bill's Garden, the best Chinese Food place in Minneapolis in my opinion. The fried goodness of sweet and sour chicken, and cream cheese wontons kept me happy that afternoon as well. So, granted this, isn't a healthy get together, but it sure is a fun one, and worth every calorie!

Tomorrow, I'm heading out for a run, (to work off the damage I did at the cookie swap) as it's supposed to be a 30 degree+ heat wave with my pal Anne! Here her and I are freezing our butts off after a cold, and painful run around Lake Calhoun a few weeks back:

I feel like no matter what the cold weather running picture, my face looks like a big, round butter ball, especially compared to tiny Anne!

Tomorrow, I'm also attending an event that will name the Top Ten Titans in Social Media in the Twin Cities. If you need to add to your blog roll, check out the list of the nominees, and you'll be in love. All of these people have true talent, and I can't wait to celebrate it tomorrow!

My Favorite Ornament

2010-12-06T07:16:00.007-05:00

As stated previously, I love the Holiday Season. So, when Missy from the Marketing Mama told me about a blog carnival where everyone writes about a favorite ornament, or holiday item that has meaning to them, I had to hop on.

My personal favorite, are the ornaments I have from our Christmas tree growing up. A set of cloth, stuffed Peanuts characters ornaments that I don't remember ever spending a Christmas without.

I'm not sure when my mom purchased them, but in college when she asked me if I wanted any of the ornaments she was no longer going to use, and I saw these in the pile, I quickly snatched them up.

My husband asked me this year, after seeing me get so excited to place these certain ornaments on the tree each year, why we had cloth ornaments. The only response I could think of was, "probably because my brothers and I were too destructive for anything else??" I suppose that's why people use non-breakable ornaments for a certain point in their life.

They remind me of many fun Christmas Eve's at my parents house, where we would sit around eating taco tip (yes, our Christmas traditions include taco dip) and cookies after going to Christmas Eve mass. They remind me of waking up Christmas morning, as a kid and eating a huge doughnut for breakfast before diving into opening presents. I hope that one day when Ben and I have kids, they'll have a certain item that brings back wonderful memories like these ornaments do for me.

Check out the links below from other area bloggers to see their favorite holiday item! Also, feel free to comment with your favorite holiday memories, I can't wait to hear them. =)

My Grown Up Christmas List

2010-12-02T17:33:00.009-05:00

Because I am a person who loves Christmas (and the holiday season in general), and loves buying and receiving gifts, I'm going to be so self-indulgent (after gloating last week that I wasn't by not telling you all what I'm thankful for) and make my little perfect holiday wish list.

Are they hints for my husband and friends? Why yes, they are. Is this my way of feeling like a kid again looking at the JC Penny catalog? Why yes, it is. And, just maybe, it will help give you some ideas. So often as adults if we want something, we buy it, so that leaves us stumped when someone asks us what we're wishing for for a birthday or holiday.

Without further ado, here we go:

This infinite scarf from Nordstrom, I'm in love with it, and their Juniors Department is so reasonable at only $20

Gloves for my touch screen phone. Whoever thought of this is a genius, because I hate pulling my fingers out of my gloves at the bus stop to try and use my phone. They turn into icicles as I try to tweet, e-mail, text, etc.
Dry Fit Arm Warmers for Running, the ones I wore for the Nike Women's Marathon were an impromptu pair from Walgreens my friend Breck bought me, and they're all but spent after that race, so I'd love a dry fit pair that will last for the long hall for when the seasons are changing and running wardrobes have to be flexible.

An Apple Peeler, so that I don't end up spending many hours, nearly sacrificing my fingers each fall while I try to peel apples.

Of course, either of these adorable aprons from Anthropologie. They're so beautiful, and I know I would love to cook and bake in them, but I can't bring myself to spend $32 on an apron for myself.

Aveda Hand Relief. The best lotion ever. I always try to keep a big bottle on my nightstand, and a travel size bottle in my purse. It's the only way my hands survive Minnesota winters. It's not too greasy, but heavy duty enough to keep my hands, cuticles and nails moisturized.

I am also a huge proponent of Gift Cards. I know some people think they're lame gifts, but I love them. They help me cut down on my weekly coffee spend, they give me a big discount on a pair of shoes I otherwise may not have been able to afford, or they give Ben and I a nice way to go out to dinner and not blow all of our spending money.

So, there it is, my very self-indulgent list. I hope it got you thinking of what's on your list, so the next time someone asks you don't go, "hmmm, I don't know... anything really," and end up with a shirt you'll never wear, or a book you'll never read.

Rogue Running: Would you do it?

2010-11-30T11:58:00.002-05:00

Here's the situation, Ben and I are trying to cut back in many ways. The little things that add up so easily, like buying coffee. I've made a no coffee buying pledge for December, and asked for Starbucks gift cards to curb this spending post holiday season as well. One of the ways I spend too much, is race entries. Sure, the big races are worth it, especially ones from Team Ortho, with the awesome swag you get. But some races, are just not worth it, and now that I'm running longer distances, 5K's especially.

So, this weekend a friend and I were speaking of running a 5K without paying for it, just showing up and running, and another runner was appalled. The thing is, I know for a fact this 5K doesn't give any of the profits to charity, it all goes to pad this company's wallet, and they make money in PLENTY of other ways, trust you me.

So, I don't really feel bad about it. In fact, I've paid for their races before, and the food lines are always atrocious, and I rarely actually stay to get the food because it's not worth the long wait and chaos to get it. The cotton shirts that come with the race entry always shrink, and end up being pathetic pajama shirts I wouldn't be seen in public in.

So, I'm not feeling bad about "rogue running" this race. I'm not stealing from the poor, and I pay for a lot of race entries during the year that do benefit great causes.

SO, what do you think? How do you manage to keep your race entry spending under control? Do you think it's OK not to pay for a race entry if the money doesn't go to charity and you don't get what you expect in return??

Love and Other Drugs

2010-11-29T21:26:00.003-05:00

Sunday, I went and saw Love and Other Drugs with my friend Jen. It was a definite chick flick, that I'm glad I went to see with a girlfriend instead of Ben (and he didn't want to go anyway... so there was that!)

The movie was really good, not great, but good, and kept my attention the whole time. I love Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, and thought they were both perfect casting for these characters. The premise is, Jake Gyllenhall is a drug rep for Pizer during the Viagra rush of the 90's, and through that job he meets Anne Hathaway, who is suffering from Stage 1 Parkinson's Disease, let the montages of lovely times, followed by tumultuous arguments ensue.

I'm glad I saw the movie, and would recommend it to a lady looking for a good time movie to see with girlfriends. There is also a lot of Anne Hathaway nudity, if you need to convince your significant other to attend (along with some Jake Gyllenhall nudity as well!).

In recipe news, I tried this great recipe for Chocolate Chip Dough Balls from Diana over at the Chic Life, and let me tell you, delicious! Ben insisted on taste testing at least three of them, and he's not even a big sweets guy. I highly recommend you try them! I threw two of these in my lunch today, and they were the perfect post lunch treat. =)

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin

2010-11-27T16:08:00.006-05:00

I'm going to tell you right now what YOU should be thankful for, you should be thankful that I'm not going to give you a list of what I'm thankful for in this post, because I've read too many blogs this week with lists that go on and on of what people are thankful for, and frankly, I only care so much. It's pretty self-indulgent, and if I'm not thankful for my health, family, etc. than I'm not human.

So, anyway, Ben and I just arrived back from a wonderful few days in my hometown in Wisconsin about a 2.5 hour drive from the Twin Cities. We had a great meal, obviously, (I took no pictures of it) and had great times with my family.

This weekend, Ben and I got meet our nephew Andrew for the first time, and let me tell you, at 12 weeks he acts more like a five month old baby with his size and strength, and can win anyone over with his smile.

As you can see, Cooper refused to be overshadowed by a baby (although we did put him up in the chair with me for the last picture), but it was really cute to see his reaction the first time around a baby. Andrew is such a cute and cuddly baby, smiling when talked to, and starting to talk back with his own little babbles as well.

The best part about my hometown, is that there is A LOT of delicious, local places to eat there. Ben and I went to Rocky Rococo for pizza, and it was just like going back in time. Delicious, thick crust pizza served piping hot and fast.

I got the lunch combo with a slice of cheese pizza, the salad bar, and a drink. And yes, my salad is swimming in blue cheese dressing-- it's a holiday weekend, come on! I also had one of Ben's breadsticks, as their breadsticks are legendary delicious, no other pizza place can top them.

I also got in a run this weekend, my first in over a month, as I've finally been deemed clear to run, woo hoo!! It was a bit tough on my asthma the way that I went against the wind, but it felt good to go out. I took it easy doing 2.25 miles, and it was the perfect amount. Tomorrow, I'll be taking on 3.1 miles in the AM.

Hope you all are having a great holiday weekend!!

Pumpkin Oatmeal

2010-11-21T19:31:00.007-05:00

My friend Kaitlin posted a recipe on her facebook for Pumpkin Oatmeal, and I was intrigued, it looked like a great hearty meal, and super easy. So, I gave it a whirl, and mmmm, mmmm was it delicious, so much so that I had to share it with you all. I always see fancy Oatmeal recipes on people's blogs, but never know just how they make oatmeal look so delectable, so I hope I do the same for you!

I started with a half cup of quick oats, a half cup of milk and a few spoon fulls of canned Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie mix).

Then microwaved for about two minutes (this time can vary, depending on your microwave).

Then, after mixing the hot mix, I added a few spoonfuls of apple sauce, along with nutmeg and cinnamon. Cinnamon was my own addition, and not being careful, I added to big of a shake, so make sure you just give it a light dash.

The following goodness ensued, and was a hearty dinner (yes dinner!) after a great workout, and kept me nice and full.

S0, there you have it, Pumpkin Oatmeal ala Kaitlin. This has inspired me to try and come up with a cooked apple oatmeal, stay tuned!

30 Day Shred

2010-11-18T20:22:00.002-05:00

Tonight I went to physical therapy, and I got some great news, no more wearing my boot, yay! I've been pain free in normal activity for over a week, so now my left shoes can try to catch up to all the wear my right shoes have received over the past few weeks.

The bad news, I'm still not ready to run, and need to get stronger before I do. Hearing this, made me want to cry (and maybe I did tear up a little and feel like a fool). I had planned to run this Saturday, just a couple of miles with a friend since I've been feeling so great on foot, however, my PT informed me that's a recipe for disaster and I need to get stronger first with the rest of my body so it can support running first.

I drove home from this news feeling down, and not wanting to go to the gym, even though I knew I should, then it hit me, all my workout DVD's! I keep hearing great things about Jillian's 30 Day Shred, and I bought it this summer with hand weights, why don't I integrate that into my get stronger routine?

So, I came home, popped it in, and hit it for 20 minutes, and it was great! She mixes strength training, cardio and abs, and in the 20 minutes, I burned over 200 calories and my arms feel like they got a killer workout!

So, I've decided to integrate the DVD into my normal workouts. There are so many days I think I don't have time to workout, but what's 20 minutes here? I can get up 20 minutes earlier, I can do it for 20 minutes on Sunday nights instead of being a couch potato that whole night, I can do it the days this winter when the roads are too bad to get to the gym... why not??

I know many people, including Missy at the Marketing Mama, who have had great success with this DVD, so here goes nothing! I'll be sure to report back.

What is your favorite tried and true workout DVD? Or is there one you've been wanting to try??

Also, we have a winner for the Surf Sweets Give Away! With the help of random.org, the winner is...

#8 Kristi!!

Kristi said, "My favorite sugary candy are Mike and Ike's!"

Kristi, leave your e-mail address in a comment and we'll exchange information, congratulations!