It Was Bound To Happen

Hi guys! I am just stopping in really quick to let you know that I won't be posting very much between now and the New Year. There is just too much stuff going on and I need some time to clear my head and figure out what direction my life is going to take. I may post sporadically here and there if I feel inspired to do so but I can't really promise that I will be feeling any inspiration. I am crossing my fingers that the New year will bring a refreshing to my mind and some direction for my future. In case I don't get a chance to chat with you guys again before the holidays, I hope that you all have a wonderful, relaxing and joy filled time with your loved ones. Ta ta for now!

So So Sleepy

I don't know what my deal is today but I am absolutely exhausted. I am not really sure how I am going to make it through today because it is taking every ounce of energy just to keep my eyes open. What is the deal? Anyway, I am going to make this post super quick because I have a feeling that I am not going to make a whole lot of sense.

I do want to tell you guys about my workout this morning. I chose today to reintroduce tempo running into my workout schedule and it was a tough return. I did a 60 minute tempo run and finished a nice solid 8.50 miles. My pace was a little bit slower than I was hoping but overall I was happy with my run. I felt like I could have run longer but I am planning on going to a 5 mile Christmas light run this evening and I want my legs to have a little bit of energy left in them.

I absolutely SUCK at running in the evening but I love to go to the Christmas light run. For some reason, my body refuses to run at night and I know that I am going to struggle through all 5 miles. Oh well, at least there will be some pretty Christmas lights to look at and hot cocoa at the finish. Anyway, back to my morning workout...after my run, I did a 45 minute upper body workout that focused mostly on my chest and lats and finishes up with some TOUGH core work. Whew! My abs were begging for mercy by the time I finished. It was a great morning!

Other than that, there isn't really anything super exciting going on around here...well, at least not anything worth talking about. I hope all of you guys are having a wonderful day filled with energy and excitement. Send some of that energy my way if you have a bit to spare!

Thanksgiving Remix

So, I am sure I have mentioned it before but H and I didn't really have a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, which is just not cool at all. We decided to remedy the situation last night by making a few of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes and this meal was to die for!

We made cranberry apple sauce, steamed green beans, Field Roast, vegan gravy and the best part of all STUFFING! Mmm! Stuffing is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving! I have leftovers packed in my lunch for today and I can hardly wait to dig in. Is 10:30 too early to eat lunch? Anyway, dinner was absolutely delicious and filling. It was definitely a big job to come home and make Thanksgiving dinner after work. We didn't eat until 8:30 but it was definitely worth the wait. Also, this was our first time trying the Field Roast and it was okay. I am not a huge fan of fake meat products because they always seem really salty and processed but I have been curious to try the Field Roast for awhile now. I guess I can mark that culinary experience off of my list! Oh, Thanksgiving...you are such a great holiday!

This morning I had such a hard time getting out of bed. I have been sort of stressed out lately and it is making it difficult to sleep at night. When my alarm went off, I peeked out of my window and it was pouring rain. I mean, bone soaking, freezing cold rain! Ugh! I knew that I needed to get in a good workout because today is packed full of stressful stuff and I needed to blow off some steam. Sooooooo, I dragged my lazy butt out of bed and hit up the treadmill for a quick 10K. After my run, I went to an excellent yoga class and stretched my muscles out. Yoga felt amazing today! I loved every single second of it and I may do some more tonight if I get a chance.

I have a busy day filled with meetings and errands and other crap but I think it is going to be a good one....my fingers are crossed anyway! I am crossing my fingers for all of you guys too. Have a wonderful day!

Three Legs Are Better Than Two

Good morning blog land! Welcome to Tuesday! I have already had a pretty great start to my day but before I get into all of that I want to show you what H and I made for dinner last night because it was super yummy. Months and months ago, I found a recipe over at Kath Eats Real Food for squash gratin and it totally intrigued me. I really liked the idea of squash as the main ingredient in a casserole but I wanted to figure out a way to make the dish a little more substantial and filling. I have made this recipe many times over the past six months and changed the ingredients over and over again but I think I finally came up with my favorite combination. This is my recipe for Oh My Gosh Squash Gratin but all of the credit for the original idea goes to Kath.

Oh My Gosh Squash Gratin

To start things off, roast thinly sliced squash and zucchini in a 400 degree oven until slightly brown and tender.

While the squash is roasting, crumble a block of tofu into a large mixing bowl and add 1/8 cup of lemon juice, 2 tsp. agave, 2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese and garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste. Mix well and set aside.



Once the squash has finished roasting, spray a baking dish lightly with non stick spray and then place a layer of squash in the bottom of the dish.

Place half of the tofu mixture on top of the squash and then repeat the layering steps until you have used all of the squash and tofu mixture.

Next, slice a tomato into thin slices and lay them along the top of the dish. Then, top the tomatoes with a 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and a 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Place the dish in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until everything is ooey gooey and yummy looking.

Serve alongside your favorite veggie and enjoy.

I know that this meal is definitely better suited for the summer time when there is a ton of fresh squash and tomatoes are at their peak but every once in awhile, it is nice to have a meal that takes you back to memories of a warm summer day.

Now, let me tell you guys about my great workout this morning. I woke up pretty early and rushed to the gym for some speed work. I am not technically training for anything right now but I love to do speed work and today my legs felt the need for speed! I did 8.50 miles of intervals that included 6 x 800 meters and 4 x 400 meters plus a warm up and cool down and lots of recovery jogging. My legs felt great this morning and I really enjoyed every moment of this run. I wish I would have had more time to run but at 6:00 I had to rush off to Boot Camp. I am really glad I took the time to go to Boot Camp this morning because we had such a fun class. Our instructor really mixed things up this morning and we did a few crazy exercises. At one point, I was being pulled around the room on a huge blanket which wasn't that much of a workout for me but it was SUPER fun. You would be surprised at how fast a blanket can go! Anyway, we did a lot of fun relay style races, plyometrics and circuit training and the hour flew by. The best part of the morning though was when we paired up to do three legged races with exercise bands. I paired up with Mel and once we had secured our exercise band the race was on. I am happy to say that Mel and I DOMINATED the three legged race. Honestly, we were finished with the entire race before most people had made it to the turn around point. It felt so natural to run with our legs connected and I think the reason we did so well is because we train together. I am so used to matching my pace and stride to Mel's that it was a completely natural feeling to have her leg tied to my own. Isn't that weird!? Who would have thought that all of the years of long runs together would pay off in a random three legged race at Boot Camp? Needless to say, my workout was really fun and super energizing this morning and I loved every moment of it.

Alright folks, I really need to get some work done because my bills are not going to pay themselves...although, wouldn't that be so nice? I hope you all have a wonderful fun filled Tuesday that is filled with smiles. Later!

I Got A Feeling...

Monday is going to be a super fun day! This is the power of positive thinking in action because quite honestly, there is absolutely no reason that today should be a good day. For starters, my precious H is very sick, we have end of the year reviews and big bosses in the office today, I have a to do list that is a mile long and all I really want to do is curl up on the couch and take a long nap. However, in spite of all of this, I am determined to make this day really great.

This morning started off with a bang when H woke me up with all of his coughing and hacking. I felt absolutely horrible for him because he sounded terrible and couldn't breathe properly. Neither one of us was sleeping so, at 3:45, I pulled on a few clothes and ran out to pick up medicine, orange juice and cough drops for H. I am not very good at taking care of people when they are sick but I did the best I could to make H comfortable and then rushed off to the gym. I was a little bit late getting to the gym this morning due to my wifely nursing duties but I still managed to get a decent workout. I did a quick 2 mile warm up run and then spent about 45 minutes working through a strength and core circuit. I did my best to really push myself in the weight room this morning but I have to admit that my body was tired from the weekend and wasn't really feeling a tough workout this morning. After I finished with the weights, I went to a great spin class. My favorite spin teacher was back after taking a few weeks off for surgery and she came back with a bang. We rode really hard and climbed SO many hills. I was exhausted by the time class was over but it was a good, energizing type of exhausted. I feel like I was able to get my Monday started off in a positive way and I feel ready to face the day.

I didn't take any pictures of anything this weekend because...well...I don't really have a reason. I guess I am just a lazy blogger. Honestly, I am really surprised that anyone reads this blog because I am really not that great at blogging. I spent some time on my run yesterday thinking about the effort I put into this blog and I am sort of disappointed in myself. Normally, I am the type of person who really works hard to give 100% effort towards all of my activities but for some reason, I have been completely lackadaisical when it comes to blogging. I am not going to put a lot of pressure on myself to change the blog much between now and the New year because there is just too much stuff going on in my life right now. However, I spent quite a few miles of my run thinking about things I would like to do with this blog in 2010. I am starting to get a feeling that 2010 is going to be a big year for me! I know we haven't even celebrated Christmas yet but I am ready for the New Year. Come on 2010!

Shout Out To Janetha - Flashback Friday

So, there is this super cool blogger out there named Janetha (coolest name ever) who blogs over at Meals and Moves and I think she is way awesome. Every Friday, Janetha does a little Flashback Friday and I feel like joining in the fun today. So, without further adieu, here is my own little flashback to a great trip I took a few years ago.

In 2004, H and I were invited along on a great trip that took us to France, Italy and England. One of the best stops along the way was on the island of Sardinia which is just off the coast of Italy. Sardinia is absolutely gorgeous and we had a blast exploring the island on long hikes and runs. We also spent a ton of time lounging by the pool, laying on the beach and shopping in small villages with amazing shops. This was a trip of a lifetime and I have such wonderful memories from this vacation. I would love to go back to Sardinia one day but until then, I will just look at the pictures and daydream about future vacations.

It is my belief that vacations are what make going to work worth it! Have an awesome day guys!

December? Really?

I am having a hard time believing that it is really December 3rd because it is presently a balmy 65 degrees and gorgeous outside. Now, this kind of weather may be normal for those of you who live in Florida or California but it is unheard of in Richmond, Virginia. Now trust me, I am not complaining at all but I have to admit that it was a little bit unusual to be running outside in a tank top and shorts in December.

Mel met me this morning for a great run and we had a blast chatting through the miles. I haven't run with Mel in a couple of weeks and I missed having her as my running buddy. The miles literally flew by and we were back at the gym before I knew it. Mel and I did a nice, easy five miles and I ran another 3.50 miles before she met me at the gym. Once we were finished with our run, we did a really fun core workout and focused on working our obliques. We powered through 15 minutes of intense oblique moves and then finished our workout with ten glorious minutes of stretching. I really enjoyed my workout this morning and my body is feeling strong and ready to start training for a new adventure. I don't have anything on the horizon but I am starting to get antsy and I need a race to focus on. Any suggestions?

Last night H and I had a nice quiet dinner at home and enjoyed some time together. We have both had a couple of really tough weeks and it is nice to just be together and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. One of those simple pleasures for us was an easy but delicious dinner. H and I didn't really have a traditional Thanksgiving this year and no big dinner to speak of but we managed to recreate one of my favorite traditional leftovers by making turkey sandwiches topped with cranberry sauce.

If you peek behind that delicious sandwich, you can see a healthy helping of brussel sprouts which makes every meal just a little bit better. I just love dinners like this because they are simple, filling, require very little clean up and are absolutely delicious! Love it!

I really cannot believe that Christmas is just three short weeks away. I haven't started any sort of Christmas preparations but I am hoping to put up a Christmas tree over the weekend and maybe make some cookies. Tis the season for cookies, right?! I do not even want to think about shopping for presents or the whole wrapping saga...ugh. It makes me tired just thinking about it. How are you guys doing with all of the Christmas prep? Are there any little elves out there who want to help me get ready? It never hurts to ask right?