My Favorite Blog Subjects

Trader Joe's


It has been awhile since I posted about my latest Trader Joe's purchases.  I still love that place and they don't pay me to say that.  Actually, the people at Trader Joes don't even know I exist.  Except that I am the annoying IP address that keeps requesting they open a Trader Joe's in Canton.

Anyways, the Cilantro and Jalapeno Hummus is my latest obsession.  Kevin and I went through one of these things in 2 days.  He takes big scoops.

The Multigrain Pita Chips with Sesame Seeds are the perfect scooper and something I pick-up everytime I am in the store.

I noticed this Gyoza Dipping Sauce and grabbed it immediately.  I am always failing to create the perfect combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar & sesame oil for gyoza dipping.

No picture of the package, but the Thai Shrimp Gyoza w/ the dipping sauce was a very tasty combo.

The other day I made this breakfast wrap.

• 1 Handmade Whole Wheat Tortilla (TJs brand, of course)
• Edamame Hummus (TJs)
• Lite Mexican Cheese Blend (TJs)
• Spinach
• Scrambled Egg Whites + 1 regular egg
• Chalula hot sauce
• Only thing to make it even better would be some chopped tomatoes, but we were all out.

Workouts

I am proud to say that Kevin and I are days away from completing Week 4 of P90x.  Our only slacking includes missing 1 session of Ab RipperX and cutting yoga 30 mins short.  Not too shabby.  

P90x Superlatives (so far)

• Favorite - Core Synergistics.  The time seems to fly by and I feel like I am getting a great overall work out.  
• Hardest - YogaX.  My wrists (and entire body) hurts like hell during the first 40 mins of a million downward dogs and Chaturangas.  
• Most Surprising - The first time I did KenpoX, I felt silly and couldn't keep up.  When I finally started focusing, it is now one of the workouts I actually look forward too.
• Least Favorite - Ab RipperX is only 15 mins, but I hate abs.  Always have, so I struggle through this workout and the minutes seem to last an eternity.

With all this P90x going on, the frequency of my running has been suffering.  I am getting smaller runs in once or twice a week, with a longer run on the weekend.  

Oscar & Lucy

Oscar wanted to say hi.  He tried on the heart bandana Lucy got on her trip to the vet.  

The serious look.  

Speaking of Lucy, you wouldn't know it from the picture below, but she did everything in her power NOT to get into this carrier when it was time to go to the vet last week.  

I came home to find her hanging out in there as if it is her favorite place in the world.  

Then I catch her drinking out of Oscar's water bowl. 

Since I have probably reached the pet picture limit, I will end this random post here and say that I hope everyone has fun plans for the weekend.  I am in store for a weekend of fun celebrations that includes 1 new restaurant and 1 restaurant that has a special place in my heart.  Cant wait.

Good night!

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Butter and Push-Up Grips

Friday night, Kevin brought me two just-because gifts.  The best kind.

Push-Up Grips since my wrists always hurt during our P90 workouts.

And KerryGold Pure Irish Butter because i always eye it up at the grocery store.  I think these items even each other out perfectly. 


We were planning on a run Saturday morning, so we stayed in a made a nice dinner of fish (tuna and salmon), asparagus, and risotto.  I made my first risotto and it was so easy!

It was also straight out of a box!  This Butternut Squash Risotto was flavorful and super simple to make.  We ended up chopping some of the asparagus to mix into the risotto.

Healthy and filling dinner.  


Soooo, Kevin and I started P90x over again.  We had gotten too far off track to keep moving forward and figured it would be best if we just start over.  The past two weeks, we have been getting up at 5am and completing the workouts before work.  It has been brutal since I am not a morning person.  But, we have stayed consistent and the early wake-up call is getting easier.  We are ready to kick off week 3 tomorrow.


I have not been running as frequently, but felt surprisingly OK during our 6 mile run on Saturday morning.  I do have to keep up with the running since the Washington's Birthday Marathon Relay had to be postponed to March 28th due to the snow.  That reminds me that I need to post my 2010 Race Calendar. 

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Flop

The last couple weeks have pretty much been a P90x flop.  I have done the workouts here and there, but not consistently and I have all the excuses in the world.  I was sick for a few days with a cold, worked late 2 days last week, went for a run and didnt feel like it afterwards, etc, etc, etc.  

I am trying to come up with a way to incorporate it into my exercise, without losing my running endurance.  It is really hard for me to get up early in the morning and get it out of the way.  I dont feel that I am cut out for early morning workouts.  I like entirely too much TV that is on later.  And I dont have a DVR.  So, there you have it.  

This morning, I made breakfast tacos.  Egg whites, grilled corn tortillas, tomatoes, green onion, and avocado.  No cheese because we were all out, but surprisingly, I didn't miss it.

I eventually mustered up enough motivation to hit the gym and wanted to do something different.  I ended up doing a 40 min treadmill hike.  I set the treadmill to the "Hills" setting and cranked up the speed to a fast walk.  It was pretty tough.

I came home and picked up a favorite cookbook of mine that was starting to collect dust.  Sometimes I get caught up searching the internet for recipes and dont use my cookbooks enough.

I decided to go with Giada's classic marinara sauce.  It was simple and straightforward and didn't have a million ingredients.  The house smells great right now.  Tomorrow night, I plan to use it as I try re-create one of my favorite dishes from the Tomato Palace in Columbia, MD.  

I picked up a new stuffed animal for Oscar and he had a blast playing tonight.   He loves stuffed animals, especially the squeaky kind.  He is a very manly and tough dog. ;)

Lucy was trying to figure out what that thing was and whether she should be scared of it.


I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.  Be back tomorrow with more Giada.

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Unplanned Hiatus

Well hello there.  Its been awhile.  Time flies when you are having fun, right?  Unfortunately, the photos I want to share are sitting on my NEW (and very exciting) camera that I cant attach to my computer because it was recently attacked by a virus.  Once I get that annoying thing off my computer, I will be back to show you the delicious eats.  (so yes, I am writing this post during a break at work ;))


In the meantime, I wanted to give an update on P90x.  The last update I gave was on Day 8.  That was a long time ago.  I can honestly say that I stayed strong until around Day 20.  Kevin got sick in the middle of week 3 and had to take time off.  I tried to stay motivated, but it is so much easier to have someone else suffering along next to me.  


The engagement  happened.  Kevin left for a few days to spend time with his family in Ohio.  And well, we got off track.  Not completely, meaning we probably still completed 3-4 workouts a week.  


But, I am happy to report that the new year has brought a new commitment to doing this thing the right way.  We started with the Week 5 workouts:

1. Chest, Shoulders & Triceps/Ab RipperX.  Not sure if I will ever be able to do one-handed pushups, but I tried and will continue to try.  Who cares if I only go down 1 millimeter.  I loved how sore I felt after this one.
2. Plyometrics.  Extremely sore from the workout above, but made it through.  Used a lot of the modified (easier) moves.
3. Back & Bicep/Ab RipperX.  Felt pretty easy, but it was probably because I need to use more weight.  Now that I am more familiar with the moves, I will increase my weight going forward.

YogaX is next up, so here's to me not wimping out halfway through!


Switching gears...this post needs some pictures and luckily I have some from my old camera.  Oscar and Lucy time.  


Oscar enjoying the snow.  He might love snow more than treats.

Lucy will have no part of the snow and instead spends her time near warm lamps.

Happy New Year everyone!

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When the Weather Outside is...

...cold/windy/snowy/rainy, I stay inside and bake.  But first, Oscar needs a walk.  Canton is starting to look more festive.

Oscar loves the cold weather.  Oops, I cut Kevin's head off.  Sorry Kevin.

I was between a pumpkin/cranberry combo or a pumpkin/chocolate chip combo.

What do you think won out?

In my world, chocolate chips beat cranberries any day.  I used this recipe (sub whole wheat pastry flour) and filled 1 loaf pan, 1 full size muffin pan, and 2 mini muffin pans.   So, I dirtied just about every pan I own.  

P90 Update

Last post I mentioned that Kevin and I had started P90x together.  I also said that we were committed this time.  Well, it is Day 8 and I am proud to stay we are still going strong!

Some of my thoughts so far:

• The lifting workouts are tough, but I dont mind them.  They are exactly what I need since I have a hard time lifting on my own.
• Yoga was the hardest workout for me and I have never felt more awkward in my life.  We only lasted 30 mins.
• I have a hard time concentrating during yoga since I find myself laughing at the faces Kevin makes the entire time.
• KenpoX was scheduled for Friday evening. We got dressed, went downstairs, turned on the TV and started the warmup.  About 1 minute later, we looked at each other, turned off the TV, and went out to dinner. Friday workouts have to happen in the morning before work.
• We have to plan our runs more strategically around the workouts.  I only got one run in during the 1st week.
• I don't like when Tony calls us "boys and girls" or when he talks about all the different kinds of soup.  (Okra soup is not that funny)

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.  My mom sent me the recipe for the Angel Biscuits, so I will be sure to post it soon.  Along with 2 other restaurant reviews:  Blue Moon Cafe and The Rumor Mill.  

Good night!

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Turkey to P90

Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone!  I am sure everyone is "thanksgiving recapped out" by this point, so I will just share a few, low quality photos you have come to expect here at athlEAT. ;) 


I have major camera envy of all of you out there that have a fancy SLR.  Especially since these photos were taken with my iPhone.  Forgetting my camera seems to be happening more frequently, so I will have to nip this in the bud immediately.  

Fresh Green Beans w/ Lemon, Garlic, and Toasted Pine Nuts.

Mom's Famous Angel Biscuits, fresh out of the oven.

Uncle Gene's Crab Stuffing.  Like a crab cake, but with more bread than crab.  Only in Maryland.  It was great.

The most addicting Mac & Cheese ever.  Havarti, Brown Sugar & Red Onions are just a few of the awesome ingredients.

Ready to eat.

My plate.  I pretty much ate everything.  Yes, that is sauerkraut on my turkey.  Deelish.  

Ok, so have I mentioned that I love pie?  LOVE pie.  I just had to have a sliver of each.  Pecan, Pumpkin & Sweet Potato.


After all of this post-marathon eating, I decided to start a new training challenge.  P90x.  I have tried to start this before and was not committed.  This time is different.

Kevin and I set up our own P90 workout area in the basement.  It isnt fancy, but we sealed off the exposed brick and then put down padded/gym flooring.  I love it down there now.


We are currently on Day 4 and I am still sore from Day 1.  I love feeling sore because it tells me this stuff is working.  Yoga tonight was extremely hard.  I have never felt more awkward in my life and only lasted 30 mins.  Here's to keeping this up for 86 more days!  

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