Garden 2013

I don't like to brag, but last year we rocked out our garden.

Not one plant died before producing copious amount of veg.  Our bowls runneth over.  Literally, we grew more than we could pick / eat.

I think that mostly had to do with the fact that I was pregnant and wanted little to nothing to do with vegetables.  

However, this year I am sans fetus and ready to chow down on some delicious and nutritious vegetables.  

Bonus - Ina will start to eat solids soon and it is so rewarding to know that I can help  grow some of her food.

On Sunday I invested an hour of precious weekend time to plant the garden.

In the mix we have:

• tomatoes - lots of different kinds
• jalapeños
• green and red bell peppers
• zucchini
• butternut squash
• brussel sprouts
• cauliflower
• sweet onions

(Now if I could only make those dead trees come back to life.)

I also started an herb pot with cilantro and sweet basil.  I plan on adding a few more herbs soon -probably mint, rosemary, and thyme. 

I really wanted to plant green onions, but couldn't find them anywhere.  Maybe they only come in seeds?

What are you planting in your garden this year? 

Eats

Breakfast - strawberry banana overnight oats

Lunch / snacks - leftover crockpot bolognese sauce with whole wheat pasta, orange, and hard boiled eggs

Snack - bran cereal with skim milk

Dinner- Dan made some amazing cilantro jalapeño lime turkey burgers with sweet potato fries and green beans

Run

I had originally planned on not running yesterday, but last night was a rough night on the parent-o-meter and I needed to blow off some steam.   So, I vented off 2.5 miles way past my bedtime.  Running = therapy.

Thought for the day

Why I Race

A few months ago, I signed up to run The Trolley Run, a 4 mile race from Kansas City's Waldo area to the Country Club Plaza.  Bonus - I was lucky enough to have the company I work for sponsor me.

However, when I woke up Sunday morning to an alarm I asked myself, Whhyyyy!?!

Why am I waking up this early to run 4 miles?

Why am I driving to run 4 miles?  I could run 4 miles out my front door.  

Why am I waking up my baby and my husband to take me to a 4 mile race?

Once I stepped out of the car, I remembered why.

I remembered how good it feels to run early on a beautiful morning.  

I remembered how much I love the racing community.

I remembered how much I love running with others who love to run.

I remembered how much I love running in my city.  

A city I am so very proud of.  

I remembered how Kristen Chenoweth can motivate me to kick up the gears and finish the race fast.

Well, fast for me.  I had no idea what my pace was, I just ran.  Here were my results: 

No wonder I am so sore this morning - I usually run a 10 minute mile.  36:29 isn't my 4 mile PR, but 5 months post-partum I'll take it.

Once the run was over I was thankful I had drug myself out of bed and I rode the high of the run thoughout the rest of the day.

After the run, we raced home to shower and get ready for church.  

Then we ate lunch, gardened (more on that tomorrow), and watch some baseball, then headed to my grandma's house for family dinner.

 By then, Ina had such a big day, she wasn't really interested in the family.  Poor girl.  Oh well we are still trying.

Have a good week! <3

Friday Photos and Saturday Snapshots

(Hi Julie!)

Visitors

In case you were wondering - operation baby training is going well.  

Ina still isn't super excited for visitors, progress is slow, but we are in it for the long haul.  

Yesterday my grandparents stopped by and she let my grandma hold her.

Then my brother's family came over for dinner.  

She was okay, and went back and forth from wimpering to pouting, to crying, and then a random smile popped in every once in a while.  

I tried to have everything together by making a crock pot bologense sauce following this recipe, but because of my lack of supply I had to make THREE different pots of pasta.  This led to water boiling over, time lag, and general chaos.  

General chaos - my speciality.  

My sister-in-law was a sweetie and made WW friendly raspberry lemon cake.  Mmmmm....

Either way it was a fun night

Happy Friday!

Did You Know?

Did you know that there is such a thing as a cantaloupe / honeydew combination called a galia?  

My boyfriend told me about it and Abby, Ina, and I are fans.  That will be a regular addition to my shopping cart this summer.

Did you know that Trader Joe's now makes CRUNCHY cookie butter?

I was so excited I could barely hold still to take the picture.  I am already thinking of the delicious recipes...

Did you know that cumin doesn't taste as good in overnight oats as cinnamon?  Apparently I was so excited to tell you about my overnight oats prep yesterday that I grabbed the cumin jar, which, in my defense, looks exactly like the cinnamon jar.

Yum.

Did you know that increasing your speed on the treadmill by 0.1 mph every 3 minutes can make you really sore the next day?  

Yes, of course you knew that.  Now I know that too.  I ran 3.2 miles in 30 minutes and haven't been sore from running in quite some time.  It feels so good!

Other Eats

Lunch - leftover pork tenderloin and roasted veggies from the day before.  

This was just as good the next day - I will repeat that recipe for sure!

Dinner - cheesy veggie beef bake following *this recipe* with roasted potatoes

Thought for the day 

How to Make Overnight Oats

First things first, Ina rolled over from her back to her stomach yesterday.

And then wasn't very happy about it.  We put her back on her back to make sure we weren't hallucinating and she did it again!  Then she rolled from her stomach to her back!

I cried from excitement.  Then I cried because she is growing up too fast. 

I know I am going to miss out on some of her firsts when I am at work, but I was so happy to be able to experience the first few, like this and her first smile.

Lately a few people have asked me how I make overnight oats.  I know that this might be old hat to some of you, but if you have never experienced the wonder that is overnight oats, here ya go.  

Main Ingredients:

• 1/2 C oats 
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 C yogurt
• cinnamon to taste
• 1 T chia seeds (optional)

Mix everything in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.  

The next morning you will have a blank canvas to add whatever flavors you are feeling.  

Great add-ins include: fruit, nuts, nut butters, chocolate, honey, jelly, protein powder, etc.

My favorite comboninations are blueberry, walnut, and coconut or nut butter, banana, and chocolate.

Some notes:

- I make my oats with plain Greek yogurt so that I can add anything I want.  If you use plain, you will probably want to add some type of sweetener (jelly, honey, etc).  Another option is to use flavored yogurt.

- The chia seeds are optional, but they add a nutritional punch and give the oats a creamier, more filling texture

- I like instant oats better than rolled oats, but using either is fine

- I use skim milk, but have used almond milk and it also works great

- Although these are called overnight oats, I usually make them in the morning after I get done running.  By the time I am showered and ready for the day, they are good to go. 

- I have heard that some people don't like the thought of cold oatmeal, so they microwave their overnight oats.  I can't speak to how that tastes, but thought I would throw it out there.

Eats

I made strawberry protein pancakes for breakfast yesterday - recipe to come.

Lunch was leftovers from the night before.

Roasted some brussel sprouts for a snack.

Dinner was a surprising success - pork tenderloin and veggies in the electric skillet.

I rubbed the pork loin with thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper and seared it on medium heat.  Then I added carrots, potatoes, and onions, some olive oil, and some chick stock, covered and set it on medium-low for about a hour and a half.  

I was seriously surprised how well it turned out.  Dan is the roast guy around here.  

Dessert - carrot cake cupcake (so freaking good) with my loves

Run

3 miles on the treadmill while watching Glee.  Want some motivation to crank up the speed?  Watch some high school kids sing a Spice Girls song.  

Works every time.

Real Sarah

My friend Sarah is finishing up her residency in North Carolina (remember when I visited her?).  When the rest of my high school friends get together we miss her dearly and, because real Sarah can't be there, "flat-Sarah" makes an appearance.

She first showed up at Ina's baby shower. 

 

 And since then we have hung out 

 a few times.

 However, last night, Ina had the pleasure of meeting Sarah in the flesh!

Ina was so excited and gave the best squeals and coos she had. 

I miss Sarah so much and I loved getting to show her our new life --> early dinner, playtime, bath time, bed. 

Sarah also brought over heaven in plastic wrap.  

Her mom made a few different desserts, and although it was hard to decide which one (lemon bar, carrot cake cupcake, or ice cream cake) ice cream cake won.  So good and totally worth all of activity points for the day.  Charlotte, I need that recipe!

It was hard to see Sarah leave, but we can't wait until she comes back for GOOD in a few years.

Eats

Breakfast - overnight oats with blackberries and strawberry jam

Lunch / snacks leftover hamburger strew, fruit / veg, hard boiled eggs

Dinner - crock pot pernil following this recipe with brown rice, corn, black beans, and salsa

 Workout

I somewhat completed Jillian MIchaels Ripped in 30 Week 3.  I say "somewhat" because every time we started a new move I was frozen, paralyzed in awe, thinking, She wants me to do what!?!  

Legs are so sore today.